by Angela Sanford
Unfortunately, the 2025 year began with a enormous loss to the community of Kennetcook with the passing of a local community leader, Craig Anthony, who has been a presence and pillar for the area for much of his 80 years.
Though my last visit with Craig was at his bedside, most of the visits we shared were among the farm equipment he took such pride in. Though, I’d drop in of my own accord, I never knew when I’d be called to drop over from collecting the mail. Craig would catch my attention and wave me in to share in an opportunity to catch up on family, my career, the community and then dive deeper into the topics of the day. Each time I ran for council, Craig was my sounding board for weighing out my decision to run or not, the logistics of the campaign, and much more. He was a personal cheer leader and usually ended our exchanges with these words, “You’re bound for something big. Be patient, it will come.” He had unfaltering belief in me and each of my boys. I just hope that if that “something big” ever manifests, he’ll know that it would not have happened without his counselling. Our final discourse was as lively as any we’ve ever had and it was, in part, my seeking advice on a potential path I may pursue and he gave me food for thought, as usual. Craig’s spirit, even though he knew his time was closing in, was positive, his power and connection with others coming from the strength and pride he demonstrated in every commitment he made to our community and the people living here and travelling through here, and he influenced each and everyone who engaged with him.
35 + years ago another figure, who I will never forget, played a significant role in the lives of many who experienced her uniqueness. Heather Murphy (Brightman, to many) had a presence in the classroom and in the HNRH school community. Her charisma and passion for learning were contagious. She was a strong female model for teenage girls and she had a quirky sense of humour to boot. I’ll always remember her for support in preparing me for my grade nine math exam – outside of the regular classroom time. However, the biggest smile comes from a memory of how she had duct taped a student to their desk and then completed the mission by covering their mouth with the same, making that class the most productive one we’d had all year. Of course, I didn’t carry that management practice into my teaching career but I do hope that I have built relationships with my students like she did with us.
Not all leaders are our elders; some, in fact, are much younger but can demonstrate skills beyond their years. I have said it before, written about this person numerous times but I would be remiss if I did not, again, mention their influence on community, and myself. Anthony Miller was a student I worked closely with, as his teacher and in extra curricular groups at HNRH. I remember discussing with him his leadership potential within the school and that leadership carried him beyond the four walls of HNRH and lives on still today in the community gatherings memorializing his presence, strength, and zest for life.
These three upstanding, and outstanding, community members, each faced their illness with resilience, tenacity, and humility. Even on their hardest days they upheld a irrefutable positivity with those around them. In their living presence they modelled for us what community is all about and we are better people, and a stronger collective, for having had them in our lives.
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