Shuswap Immigrant Services, located at 371 Hudson St., N.E., would like to introduce some of our recent immigrants to the people of Salmon Arm in the hope that all citizens join us in extending a welcome to the new members of our community.
Our organization is a non-profit, non-governmental society with a mission to welcome, support and include all immigrants in the Shuswap. We value the diversity that immigrants bring to our community .
Please join us in welcoming David Locke. He wrote about his experiences as a newcomer to the area.
I came from Perth, Western Australia three years ago with my wife. She is originally from Winnipeg, but has a childhood connection to the Shuswap area. For my part, I’m fast developing a love of this land. I grew up by the ocean and have a deep connection to water. Having the Shuswap Lake nearby helps me feel more at home here.
I am a physiotherapist at Live Well Physiotherapy in Salmon Arm, and enjoy meeting people from all walks of life through my role there. I have an interest in chronic pain, headaches, head and neck trauma, and TMJ issues.
The people of the Shuswap have been warm and welcoming. I do my best to be a part of our community here. I am an active member of the Shuswap Volunteer Search and Rescue, and have enjoyed learning some local backcountry knowledge from the long-time members that we have in our team. The geography of Canada is very different to where I’m from, but the sense of space and wilderness is immediately recognizable and familiar.
It’s always challenging to leave one home and seek another. I have three sisters and my parents still in Perth, which is about as far away from Canada as you could possibly get. Finding friends and things to be involved in helps gradually with the transition. So does FaceTime. As each month rolls by, I’m starting to feel more at home here in the Shuswap.
-Submitted by Shuswap Immigrant Services.