Huntsville is gradually becoming home for Joanne Osborne.

The registered nurse, a resident of Toronto for all but two years of her life, moved here in July when a teaching job became available for her partner, Kim.  

“The opportunity presented itself, and we decided to go for it,” Osborne says. “Moving north was always a seed of an idea for me. I love being outdoors.”

Osborne’s attachment to the wilderness was formed during childhood summers spent at Glen Bernard Camp near Sundridge. Coincidentally, it was the camp that brought her and Kim together as well. “There was an alumni canoe trip to celebrate the 75th year of the camp in 1994,” she explains. “We got re-acquainted there.”

That first year 36 women responded, and some core group members decided to make the trip an annual tradition. For the next 10 years Osborne was the main organizer of the trip. “We still go every summer,” she says.

The mother of two sons and a daughter in their twenties has also guided trips in the Yukon. Her first trip, arranged by Canoe North Adventures in Orangeville, was a celebration of a friend’s 50th birthday. “It’s awe-inspiring country,” says Osborne. “When I left, I said, ‘I’ll be back.’”

She has since helped with three all-women trips in the north. “It’s a powerful feeling for women to go together. An incredible camaraderie develops,” she says.

In the past six months, Osborne has been active in other outdoor pursuits besides paddling, such as hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  She says, “It’s just a stunning place to be. I wanted to be outdoors more.”

Other goals she has been able to pursue include exploring her creative side through painting and photography – “inspired, of course by the magnificent surroundings and seasonal changes” – and living more lightly on the earth.

“I am interested in exploring local and/or organic food sources, and I love the farmers’ market,” she says.  

A yoga enthusiast for six years, Osborne has also signed up for yoga classes in town.

She says the people here have been wonderful, particularly her welcoming neighbours in the Mary Lake Highlands.

And, while it has taken a little longer than she had hoped to find steady employment, at the end of January she will begin working with Huntsville’s Algonquin Family Health Team providing geriatric care.

During her career, Osborne has worked with patients at all stages of life, although she says she has always had a passion for palliative issues. She trained and worked at the Hospital for Sick Children. Later, she worked in a pediatrician’s office, Bloorview Children’s Hospital, Sunnybrook Family Practice Clinic, and for St. Elizabeth Health Care, a community health care provider. “That was an eye-opener and a good match for my skills,” she says.

Osborne says her interactions with patients have provided many growing experiences. She notes, “Nursing has taught me to have a broader perspective on life.”

Since arriving in Huntsville she has been volunteering for Hospice Huntsville. “I saw the brochure when I was first visiting and was immediately interested,” she says. “I thought it was a good way to meet like-minded people, and I’m committed to the idea of volunteering and helping people in their home with end-of-life issues.”

Osborne plans to volunteer more but is waiting to see what her regular work schedule will be like. However, she couldn’t resist signing up to be a scorekeeper at the Canadian Pond Hockey Championships at end of January and beginning of February. “It just sounded like so much fun,” she says.

At times she feels isolated, Osborne admits. “If I’m doing things in town, I’d like to be able to call people up and say, ‘Would you like to go for coffee?’” she says. “There are a few people I can do that with, but it takes time to make inroads in a new community.”

However, she is confident that it won’t take long to settle in. “It’s about keeping positive and finding community, whether it be spiritual, working or living,” she adds. “We all need more community.”

Is there someone you’d like to see profiled in this space? Please call Paula at 789-5541 or e-mail  pboon@metrolandnorthmedia.com.