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There's nothing stronger than the bond of family. The Husacks can definitely attest to that.Parents Bill and Jean have called McKenzie Island home for more than 50 years and their four children, Jeannie, John, Tom and Tammy, haven't strayed far. Although each of the four children have married and have families of their own, the group has stayed close - Jeannie and John reside in neighbouring communities Balmertown and Madsen and Tom and Tammy live on McKenzie Island.
In fact, Tammy, their youngest, lives right down the road from them. It's not uncommon, she says, for her and her family to stroll down the way in their pajamas on a weekend to join Bill and Jean for pancake breakfast!
Tammy insists that as long as her parents remain on the Island, that is where she will stay as well.
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Bill and Jean (Volkart) Husack on their wedding day in Finntown.29 May 1948
Finntown, McKenzie Island, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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Tammy admits that their family has a reputation for celebrating everything –birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Easter and all occasions in between. And these events are more than just an intimate gathering.For example, every Christmas is celebrated at Bill and Jean’s house. With everyone included, the group is pushing 50. Even though quarters are close, none of them would have it any other way.
Some of the kids have tried it and they have even rented a hall to accommodate their large family gathering, but “it’s never as good as mom’s,” they say.
The preparation is a family effort - Jean does the cooking and her kids take turns doing the dishes. Then it’s time for the main event – Santa Claus, of course. One of the adults dresses up as Santa and distributes the gifts. But it doesn’t always end there.
Holidays are the perfect time for siblings to embarrass one another. Last year it was Tammy’s turn to play Santa Claus. She was decked out in full Santa garb and was accompanied by her sidekick elf, Blake, her husband. Her brother, Tom, had gotten engaged that year, so Tammy took full advantage of the situation and made the happy couple sit on her knee. “I embarrassed them horribly, especially my brother. He doesn’t like stuff like that, but I had to do it,” she says.
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Get togethers at the Husacks are always a good time.1950
Finntown, McKenzie Island, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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The Husacks definitely have a good time when they get together, but they also use the holiday seasons to pass on tradition to the young children in the family.Bill’s family is of Ukrainian decent so some Easters and Christmas holidays are celebrated the Ukrainian way. Jean says, “It’s a tradition that’s getting passed down. We did it, all of our kids are doing it, and their kids are now taking in the culture.”
Because this type of celebration involves a lot of work and preparation, it is not recognized every year, but the family says that is what makes it so special. It’s a real treat when holidays are celebrated the Ukrainian way. What exactly does this involve?
Well, the meal cannot include meat. One year Jean prepared the 12 dishes, which included perogies. And everyone must wait for the first star before eating the meal. Tammy said the children wait by the window with baited breath for the star to appear.
And you can’t forget all the good luck traditions. Hay is placed under the table for luck; back in the old country Bill’s mother would bring an animal to the door of the house, which is supposed to bring luck and prosperity; cucha wheat bread is prepared and thrown up to the ceiling, if it sticks, the crop will be good the following year. But Tammy says disappointingly that Jean wouldn’t allow this tradition. Although when Tammy had the celebration at her house one year, she admits that she wouldn’t allow it either!
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Entertaining in Finntown, McKenzie Island1956
Finntown, McKenzie Island, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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Celebrations at the Husacks aren’t limited to immediate family only. Jean organizes the July 1st festivities for McKenzie Island residents.This annual event was held on the Island for several years and then moved to Balmertown. This was an inconvenience for many families because of the ferry ride across the lake. Plus, residents wanted something to call their own.
Jean decided to organize events for the kids (and the young at heart) and Tammy and Jeannie collected donations. That was about three years ago and it has since been a growing success. There are bicycle races, tug-of-wars, baseball and horseshoe matches, and even a candy store where you can stock up on the coolest junk food.
Word has spread as residents from Balmertown, Cochenour, and surrounding areas have ferried across to join in the fun!
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Sisters Joan Volkart (left) and Jean Husack (right).1949
Finntown, McKenzie Island, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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The Husacks are known for always having an open door. Jeannie says their place is never empty. “There are always people coming and going.” Even when Bill and Jean’s kids started moving out, they couldn’t bear to have an empty nest.The couple have been foster parents for more than 25 years. “I love fostering,” Jean says. “I’ve never been without kids in the house.”
They got involved largely due to Tammy. With 10 years between her and her closest brother Tom, she was the last to leave the house and desperately wanted a younger brother or sister. Fostering has been a part of their lives ever since.
As one of the three families who foster on McKenzie Island (Tammy is another one), Jean has seen a lot of kids come and go. She’s had up to four kids at one time and even cared for one boy for 18 years, getting him right from the hospital.
And although Bill says he was roped into the whole situation, Jean admits that he learns as much from the children as they do from him. The couple remembers having a young native boy who enjoyed gardening with Bill. While they worked, Bill would talk English while the boy spoke Ojibway. “They were teaching each other languages,” says Jean.
The Husacks took their foster children on vacation with them. One year, along with Tammy’s family, they rented an RV and drove to British Columbia together.
Letting the kids go has to be the biggest hardship of fostering, but of all the children she has had over the years, Jean says that the twins were the hardest to say good-bye to. They had them for about three years and bonded instantly with them. “They fit right in with the family,” she says.
But that was quite some time ago, as the twins are now 25. The young girl is a cook on a navy ship and the boy is a carpenter. “I just enjoy the kids around,” Jean says. “I don’t worry about how many I’ve had or for how long.”
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The Husacks aren’t the only family on the Island that share this strong family bond, an acceptance for both family, friends and acquaintances. Some might say that living on McKenzie Island is like inheriting an extended family.There is always someone keeping an eye on your children to make sure they are safe, a chauffer for an emergency trip across the ice road into Red Lake is only a phone call away, and Island get-togethers, complete with activities for the young and old, are always a highlight.
There is something about the Island that slows down the pace of life and reminds us of what’s really important.
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