I must apologize now to those expecting this post to be splashed with the colours of Provence or some other fabulous picturesque destination. This time my journey has taken me back to where I started my career 30 long years ago. This post is a photo essay in retrospect.

The location for this collection of images is Carberry, Manitoba. Carberry is located about a two-hour drive east from Winnipeg, almost slap-bang in the middle of Canada. That may sound like an easy journey by car, but it becomes a little more of a chore when you begin the trip on Vancouver Island, some 2230 kilometres away.

In 1992 I arrived here in Carberry full of enthusiasm and naivety. I had recently sworn an oath to Queen and Country. My first “posting” (job) was to protect and serve the townsfolk and surrounding areas as best as possible. I was well trained and proud of my place in life.

Six months prior, I had never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up here or even that a place like this existed. Halfway through my training, I was told by a superior that I could expect to be working in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley after graduation. I would live the high life in a place known for vast lakes, fantastic skiing and beautiful vineyards.

Surprise, change of plan and Carberry it was. With all the best intentions, my time here started unpredictably. A small town with little going on was my initial impression.

I suppose for you British comedy film buffs out there, my time here started as it did for Sgt. Nicolas Angel in the movie Hot Fuzz. Slow and easy with smatterings of good humour. But, by 2 a.m. the following morning, I was pinned down in a snow bank, taking rifle fire from a farmhouse a short distance North from where I lay.

I won't bore you with the details but suffice to say, it was a long freezing cold night at a tumultuous incident. The outcome has stayed with me vividly all these years.

In fact, thirty years later this work has done its very best to desensitize me in every way imaginable. The challenges and responsibilities build with time and experience. So with many moves & transfers behind me, I thought it may have been the appropriate time to return to where it all began.

I wanted to capture some images of what it has become. But, as you will see as you scroll down, not much has changed, and it seems my memories have been preserved in a time capsule, never buried.

This is a typical prairie town with ordinary prairie townsfolk going about their lives. Some farm. Some work at the potato processing plant. Most drive half-ton trucks and smile at you when you cross paths.

My time was different here. It was a good idea to return. It has helped me to process a few things. It's not the only place I ever worked where the events of better left untold horrors effected me, but it was the first, so it left a mark.

As I wandered from place to place, it struck me that I might not be the only one that may live with life-changing memories related to this town. No more significant was this realisation than when I approached the stone chiseled list of war dead on the cenotaph. A place erected to honour the local men lost in a far-off land. So many from such a small town. Families were impacted forever by their loss. Prairie towns suffered hugely throughout both world wars. Young, strong men lost, never to return to their families again. In fact it is less than 10 minutes by car from here that 30,000 Commonwealth soldiers were trained for trench warfare throughout WWI. Camp Hughes was at one time the 2nd biggest place by population in this province behind the city of Winnipeg. Still today, trenches can be seen dotted on the horizons of ranch land west of town.

My journey has ended literally with a cathartic walk down memory lane. But, I am better for it and thankful for the opportunity. This place laid the foundations for an unbelievably fulfilling and exciting career. I have worked all over this country with some exceptional people. I came here thinking Carberry stole my innocence and it owed me something as a result. Now I realize, I owe Carberry.

Live well!

Mark.

Images captured with the Leica M10-R.

As always, please leave a comment if you have time. I enjoy hearing from you!