With a tired smile, Melissa Whitney watches her eldest son play in the front yard.
B次元官网网址淟ook mom, IB次元官网网址檓 opening the door,B次元官网网址� Keegan, 5, calls gleefully to her, twisting the handle of the front door lying on the front lawn.
Movers arrived at the breakfast hour, first removing the door from the Whitney family home in the Work Point military housing community in Esquimalt, before beginning the day-long job of loading boxes of personal belongings, beds and appliances onto a nearby moving truck.
Another moving truck is parked farther down the street, a telltale sign that military posting season B次元官网网址� which heats up across Canada every summer B次元官网网址� is in full swing at CFB Esquimalt.
MelissaB次元官网网址檚 husband, Master Cpl. Rob Whitney, is one of 14,300 Canadian Forces members, including about 1,150 from CFB Esquimalt, who will continue with their careers at another base, at home or abroad, this fiscal year.
The Whitneys are headed to CFB Suffield, near Medicine Hat, Alta., after a five-year posting to CFB Esquimalt, where Rob worked as a land communications and information systems technician.
RobB次元官网网址檚 third posting allows Melissa and their sons, Keegan, and Luka, 3, to move closer to family.
B次元官网网址淐hange is always good,B次元官网网址� says Melissa, the daughter of a British army medic father who spent much of his career on the move. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 understand how people can be in the same house, in the same town for years and years and years. I crave change.B次元官网网址�
Many military members view their career more as a lifestyle than just a source of income. Part of working for the Canadian military often means relocating for training purposes or filling positions left vacant by members who have been promoted to the next rank, or who are retiring or leaving the military.
B次元官网网址淭he whole focus of the military is having the right member in the right position at the right time,B次元官网网址� says Chief Warrant Officer Cate Gaudet, who works within CFB EsquimaltB次元官网网址檚 administration branch, which includes the base orderly room where the files of posted members are managed. B次元官网网址淓ach position has very specific requirements.B次元官网网址�
That means big change for families.
To help, the Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) launched an e-tool in February called Navigating Your Move. It offers a detailed, step-by-step explanation of what to expect during a move, possible challenges and a relocation checklist, among other links.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 set up like a road map, so itB次元官网网址檚 like your journey through your move, from the time you get your posting message to the time you unpack your house in the new location,B次元官网网址� says Colleen Cahoon, co-ordinator of FamilyNavigator.ca, the website that hosts the e-tool.
The website was launched by the Esquimalt MFRC seven years ago and today provides a list of services offered near or at each Canadian base, from housing, medical care and eldercare to special needs, child care and education.
B次元官网网址淭he problem for military families is that there isnB次元官网网址檛 consistency (in available services) from province to province,B次元官网网址� Cahoon says. B次元官网网址淓ach family is different and they each have different needs once they get to the new place.B次元官网网址�
Like many military spouses, Jennifer Campbell faced her move by first walking in to her MFRC in Greenwood, N.S. for an information package on CFB Esquimalt. She also went there for resources on how to help her shy daughter with the change ahead.
JenniferB次元官网网址檚 husband, Cpl. Troy Campbell, is an air force firefighter who has been posted from CFB Greenwood to a ship at the West Coast naval base. The couple, their seven-year-old son, Michael, and daughter Belle, 4, are crossing Canada to begin their new life at the Belmont Park military family housing community in Colwood.
B次元官网网址淚t helped us check off some things on our list,B次元官网网址� Jennifer says of using MFRC services. B次元官网网址淔or me as a wife and a mother of two small kids, I want to know where the school is, where the hospital is.B次元官网网址�
When the couple came here on their house-hunting trip in June, they made sure to visit the MFRC in Colwood.
B次元官网网址淲e stopped in to get information on a list of doctors and dentists, because I guess doctors are like a gold mine to find,B次元官网网址� says Jennifer, who had never travelled west of Ontario before her house-hunting trip. B次元官网网址淚 like that they had the 24-hour (info) phone line ... especially now going without any family around.B次元官网网址�
Staff at 32 MFRCs across Canada play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for families, arming them with information that can help them settle in their new city, among other services.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 that whole starting over each time you move. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard for everybody,B次元官网网址� says Mary Lou Climenhaga, the Esquimalt MFRCB次元官网网址檚 community integration and information and referral co-ordinator.
Despite the unknowns the Campbells had to navigate before leaving Greenwood, they remain excited about the future and life in Greater Victoria B次元官网网址� for the most part.
B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 wait to get there. ItB次元官网网址檚 just absolutely gorgeous,B次元官网网址� Jennifer says. B次元官网网址淭he only sad part is leaving family.B次元官网网址�
For Master Cpl. Whitney, postings are about much more than a career opportunity, and saying goodbye.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the mentality of B次元官网网址極h, IB次元官网网址檒l see you down the road,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭echnically, the militaryB次元官网网址檚 a small city, so IB次元官网网址檒l run into people five, 10 years from now that IB次元官网网址檒l still be good friends with.B次元官网网址�
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