Margaret Kidson grew-up with the Atlantic Ocean as her playground.

Smiling from the memory of her childhood, she talks with the soft-spoken humour and kindness of an east coast Canadian.

“Growing-up, I lived in a little fishing village on the east coast of Halifax,” says Margaret from Helen Henderson Retirement Lodge where she is enjoying the golden years of her life. “It was very picturesque, but cold in the wintertime.”

A resident of the lodge for approximately one-year, Margaret is a popular resident in the home.

Blessed with thick wavy hair and a generous smile, her eyes shine when she talks about her childhood summers working and playing on the shore of the ocean. Hanging on the wall near her wheelchair is a picture of moored fishing boats. It is a fitting backdrop to her story.

The third eldest of nine children, Margaret was only 11 when her mother died. It was a heavy blow to the family.

“I used to help my father with his lobster traps,” she explains gently. “It was a lot of work, but that was how we were living. It was quite a life; quite a healthy life.”

Margaret smiles when she talks about swimming in the salt water and gathering clams to sell. Thankfully, the family thrived on fresh sea food.

“My father earned his living with a little fishing boat,” she marvels.

Growing up on the east coast, Margaret was destined to marry the son of a lighthouse keeper on Sable Island. She was only 15-years-old when she met Robert at a dance.

“We went together for five years,” says Margaret about her husband who worked for Western Union Telegraph.

“It was quite a job, then,” she attests about her husband’s work to repair underwater cables damaged by the fishing nets of trawlers.

Married in their early twenties, the couple was blessed with four children, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. They spent many years living on Fairfield Blvd. in Amherstview.

“My husband and I did everything in there,” she says with a laugh about their house located five minutes from where she has retired.

A dedicated volunteer with her church, charities and children’s schools, Margaret also held a part-time job in a clothing store. For her, life was a perfect balance of work/pleasure.

A writer of poetry, Margaret is a charming addition to the Helen Henderson family. Her childhood stories are full of adventure that entertain the residents and staff.

Looking up from her wheelchair, she says with a combination of sincerity and humour that makes you wonder if you’re part of an east coast joke, “I’m an honest person. I don’t stretch the truth too much.”