Nina claims that “Salmon Arm found me” when asked how she happened to move here. Her route from England to Revelstoke as a lab technician and marriage to a ‘fellow Brit ‘ Ken, took her to St. Bruno, Quebec where she raised their two sons. They always had plans to move back to BC once Ken retired. But he passed away before they could fulfill that dream together.
Not every woman has the chance to reinvent herself and to realize some of life’s dreams, but that is just what Nina did when, at age 58, she found herself alone in St. Bruno. After a skiing holiday with her sons at Silver Star in 1993 Nina explored Salmon Arm. Heron View was just under construction and as she stood in an unfinished house she had the feeling that this is where she should be, even though she knew no one in Salmon Arm.
The first new venture was to become trained as a hospice volunteer which led to, in the spring of 1994, Therapeutic Touch training. She found this helpful in her hospice work. This led to involvement in the ‘Relaxation Support Group’ started in 1999 to help patients deal with chronic illness. Nina has been the facilitator of this group for the last few years. The second most important purchase after her house was a kayak. Her love of nature, hiking and camping was enriched when she became an ardent kayaker. Among her memorable kayaking trips were Tonga, to celebrate her 70th birthday, and Belize with her son Mark to celebrate her 76th birth-day.
Nina was able to realize a long-standing ambition soon after arriving in Salmon Arm: learning Tai chi. She was a keen and enthusiastic student taking extra classes and workshops whenever possible. Eventually she became a teacher herself and led a seniors class for many years. In St. Bruno Nina had taught herself calligraphy and took weekend courses. Here she joined the Kelowna Calligraphers Guild and continued formal studies. She has taught workshops in Kelowna and still works on calligraphy commissions. A related interest is her membership in the ‘International Decorative Envelope Exchange’.
Nina’s many volunteer activities include hosting at the Art Gallery, one on one reading with the Literacy Alliance and assisting with brain fitness courses. She has been a dragon boater and belongs to both book and journal clubs. Nina’s interests and volunteer activities allowed her to integrate easily and she is a valued community member. In late 1993, shortly after arriving in Salmon Arm, Nina met Lois Higgins just when Lois was looking for founders to provide seed money to start the Shuswap Community Foundation. The fledgling organization’s goals and purposes resonated with Nina, who prefers a personal connection to some of the projects she supports with her charity dollars. Becoming one of the founders of the Shuswap Community Foundation was a perfect fit for this then new citizen of Salmon Arm.
