Hometown

I grew up in a small northern Ontario mining town. For better or worse, most of my peers saw broader horizons beckoning. After post-secondary education we generally only returned to visit while our families still lived in town.

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Somehow, over the years, I failed to realize that a good number of our generation did continue living in their hometown. In fact, many found happy and productive lives there. In recent years an idea gradually formed in my head: that I should do a photographic project featuring casual portraits and the stories of people who chose to remain and make lives in their hometown. I would mix these with scenes of the places and things that remain in our memories of childhood and teen years in Manitouwadge.

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In September 2024 we visited Manitouwadge for several days and were amazed by the warm welcome we received. Moreover, the people we approached to photograph and tell their stories were receptive and keen to collaborate. In all, I photographed 22 people and obtained details of their lives in Manitouwadge. Clearly more than 22 residents have lived in town since their youth, but in the few days available we could not track them all down. Hopefully these 22 represent a good cross-section. A sample of the photos follows. I'm working on a small book and perhaps will find a venue for a exhibition of this work. 

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