Attending the West Dalhousie Community Hall Show & Shine has special meaning for some Annapolis Valley residents. From left, Steven Hannam, Jonathan Gillis, and Marsha England consider each other family. They bonded when England’s brother, Gary, who was a resident at Mountain Lea Lodge where Hannam and Gillis worked. Gary’s 1964 Ford was on display at the show. Photo by Jason Malloy /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentThe baby blue 1964 Ford truck has plenty of miles on it, but one trip stands out.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentWhile working at Mountain Lea Lodge in Bridgetown North, Jonathan Gillis and Steven Hannam forged an indelible bond with resident Gary England.Article contentArticle content“We kept talking about this old truck (Gary) had built,” Gillis recalled. “We surprised him by taking him out for a drive in that truck.”Article contentIt’s a story about friendship, family, and a love for antique vehicles.Article contentArticle content“This is how we became the Blues Brothers,” Hannam explained.Article contentIt can be an emotional time for families when a loved one enters a nursing home, but Gary’s sister had a good feeling after meeting the staff.Article content“Jonathan and Steve, you could just feel the love they had for them,” Marsha England said. “It was all you could wish for and more.”Article contentThey genuinely cared for Gary and his mother Muriel, who later became a resident. That love made Steven and Jonathan more than staff members Marsha would see when she visited her loved ones.Article content“We just became a family,” Marsha said. “And it’s lasted.”Article contentHannam lives across the road from the nursing home. They parked the truck in his yard so Gary could see it from his bedroom window and visit it from time to time.Article contentDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, Marsha organized a car parade for Gary’s birthday. He watched from the front lawn as the vehicles rolled by. Gary was asked what he thought about the parade. He called it fantastic.Article contentArticle content“Don’t I like that blue one coming,” Hannam recalled him saying.Article content Gary England forged a special bond with Steven Hannam and Jonathan Gillis at Mountain Lea Lodge. Photo by ContributedArticle contentArticle contentHannam has a mug with the truck on it that holds special meaning to him.Article content“It says on the back, ‘We may not be brothers by blood, but we’re brothers by heart.’”Article contentArticle contentHannam drove that blue truck, with Gillis in the passenger seat and continuing care assistants walking behind it, down the driveway in the North Kingston Cemetery before Gary’s graveside service.Article content“There wasn’t a dry eye in that cemetery,” Marsha said.Article contentIt’s still emotional. They all miss Gary. He was a six-foot-four gentle giant known as Gare-Bear.Article content“He was a hell of a nice man,” Hannam said. “A great man.”Article contentBut Gary’s memory lives on in the truck and the bond that was forged during his time at Mountain Lea Lodge.Article content“It’s wonderful,” Marsha said, noting Gillis and Hannam are brothers to her and her brother Tom. “It couldn’t be better.”Article contentFrom that relationship, the West Dalhousie Community Hall Show & Shine was born.
Relationship forged at Mountain Lea Lodge continues for Annapolis Valley residents
