Optical connections: Hussey of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Some patients like to tell stories and reminisce when they are in the chair. And these tales inevitably become embellished in the retelling. We smile politely, only half listening, while we peruse their records or make notes. So when a new patient started describing how, as a young girl growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a kindly old gentleman used to take her out into the bay on rowing trips, it seemed of limited interest. Until she recounted the incident that occurred one foggy day.

Jane, as we will call her since she wishes to remain anonymous, recalled the episode with a vividness as bright as the glint in her eyes, given that it all happened well over 50 years ago. The setting is Bedford Basin (pictured), a large bay joined by a long, narrow, neck of water to Halifax Harbour on the east coast of Canada. Jane’s family were well known in the area and well connected. Her mother was prominent in many local organisations, while her father had been a well-respected major in the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE).