Raissa Tetanish's Photos of the Year

When students at the adult high school in Truro found out at the end of March they would be the final students of the school, they were upset, to say the least. We had a number of calls from students that day and two – Will Shelley and Julie Castein (front left and right) – agreed to voice their concerns publicly and meet for a photo. I wasn’t expecting to see another 14 or so students waiting to be in the photo as well. Not only was the closure affecting the two who originally called, but others enough so so that they wanted to show their faces.

One of the best places for a photographer to get some great facial expressions is an exhibition, and the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition didn’t disappoint this year. All one needs to look for is a ride that makes a child go every which way, much like the Fireball, on which Truro’s Katelyn Rushton, 5, and Janna Peroi, 8, of Edmonton, had a blast.

It’s never an easy task when a reporter, whether newspaper, radio or television, gets called out to cover a fatal motor vehicle collision. I haven’t been to my fair share yet, but this is one I won’t soon forget. When I arrived on Jan. 24, the body was still inside the tractor trailer. I had to wait until the body was transported from the site before officials would let me anywhere near. Walking through the two tractor trailers to the front of the scene, debris was everywhere. I was shocked to see the extent of the damage – the tractor trailer caught the corner and side of one parked on the side of the road. As it drove by, the top and side of the trailer was torn off and the cab erupted into flames.

It’s pretty clear why I chose this photo as a favourite this year – the expression on the girl’s face almost dead center during the youth fun run that was held mid-May.

I wish I would have gotten a shot of gitchhiker Mark McIntyre when he first saw the Stanfield’s sign on the brick building on Dec. 4. McIntyre, a 43-year-old testicular cancer survivor, hitchhiked his way from Vancouver to Truro over 21 days wearing Stanfield’s underwear to raise awareness, and yes some funds, for below the waist cancers. McIntyre arrived in Truro to be greeted by the Truro Concert Band, as well as CEC cheerleaders and football players. They followed him as he walked along to the Stanfield’s factory where staff had gathered to welcome his arrival. In total, more than $30,000 was donated to the Canadian Cancer Society from the journey.

We all know dog is man’s best friend and when that connection is held even during work hours, it makes for a great story. Truro Police Service’s Const. Justin Russell has been working with Quaid for more than a year now (they celebrated their anniversary on April 19) as the department’s K9 unit, and have a bond that no one can shake. Trying to take pictures of Quaid while he was working – searching for an item – was a tough job. He was a little weary of me and wouldn’t come near me to even get his toy. To have him look at the camera, I couldn’t call out Quaid’s name – only his owner can do that. Luckily, he was interested in a woman walking behind me at the same time.

As reporters, we often have close relationships with local emergency personnel, such as the RCMP, so when we found out the local detachment uncovered a suspected meth lab, I made my way to Matheson Drive in Salmon River. When I arrived, I had just missed a robot enter the trailer in question while members of the RCMP Synthetic Drug Section waited to go in. This absolutely reminded me of the men in suits in the film ET.

It’s no question that cancer affects each and every one of us in some way or another, whether having been diagnosed ourselves, or having a family member or friend battle the disease. So the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is a major way for people to come together to show their support and have a good time. The emotion displayed on both Betty Crosby, left, and Anne Murray’s faces after an embrace during the survivor’s lap during the June 15 event is the reason why more than $150,000 was raised at the Truro Relay that year. There are so many stories, hugs, tears and laughter at the event that it truly makes for a wonderful night.

This year was a tough one for the education department and school boards throughout the province with budgetary cuts. Proposed cuts within the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board caught the ire of many students, school staff and citizens, with a number of schools holding walkouts to protest the proposed cuts to library staff and services. The Nova Scotia General Employees Union held a rally at Victoria Square on May 8 to support school support staff, and emotions were high on that day.

We often hear of criminals in our communities, such as the ones that decided to steal Bible Hill’s Steve Weatherby’s electric scooter from his shed early in November. Weatherby has the friendliest smile and such a sense of humour (he wouldn’t take his scooter out on rainy days because his “sunroof leaks”), so when the community heard about his misfortune, two people took it upon themselves to buy him a new scooter anonymously. When he climbed onto his new ride and took it for a spin, the expression on Weatherby’s face was absolutely priceless. The scooter gave him back his freedom and his independence.

I always look for different photos when I attend events, such as the VP Challenge at Victoria Park this past July. After going through a number of obstacles, the last one participants had to surpass was an army crawl. With a firefighter hosing down the pit for the army crawl, it was no surprise people got completely muddy and I wanted to showcase that as best I could, so I got down to their level. This happened to be two brothers originally from the area, with one traveling down from Ontario for the event.