Fond farewell
Truro woman puts the brakes on long driving career
Jane MacCallum’s front seat was full of flowers, bouquets handed to her between hugs at every stop along her morning route.
Flowers and hugs, provoking tears and laughter from the 76-year-old Truro woman.
MacCallum has been chauffeuring students with special needs to schools in the Truro area for the last 25 years and Wednesday was her last day.
“I’m pretty excited,” she said. “I was encouraged by a friend that I shouldn’t be driving another winter but I poopooed that. I’ve been doing it so long, it comes naturally. But since I made the decision, my excitement keeps going up.”
MacCallum never really intended to be driving kids to school in the first place – she was babysitting a few children back in the 1990s and her late husband Tom MacCallum was then head of transportation at the school board.
“He was worrying all summer
about this young girl in Tatamagouche,” recalls Jane. “They wanted her to attend a special class at the Douglas Street School (in Truro) but she was non-verbal and had special needs. My husband asked me if there was something I could do.”
Jane offered to pick up the young girl from school and babysit her until the father, a lawyer who worked in Truro, could pick her up.
“Well then I made the mistake of saying if you ever need me to pick her up because you’re away or can’t drive, I can help out some,” says MacCallum.
Sure enough the father was called away to work on a case in Ontario and MacCallum agreed to help with the driving for a while – 25 years later that ‘while’ is just coming to an end.
For the first few years she was driving over to Tatamagouche every morning and bringing several students back over Nuttby then taking then home again at night.
“I had some hairy old drives in winter up there,” says MacCallum.
For most of the 25 years though she picked up students in the Truro area. This year she has had seven students and it takes her about two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon to make all her runs.
For two students, MacCallum drove them every single year of their public schooling – 13 years for one and 15 years for the other.
“I loved the job, it’s the parents. I get to be friends with them. I help them as much as I can. I try to do any little thing I can to make their lives easier,” she said.
Tracey Smith has two children who travel with MacCallum. Her son started school in 2013.
“We were worried that first day but in an instant, one variable was alleviated when Jane arrives with her smashing personality,” said Smith. “She was so warm and engaging, with the big smile, lipstick perfectly matched to her outfit and not a hair out of place. We were relieved.”
Smiths says MacCallum established a good rapport with her son.
“He did not even hesitate that first day. He happily got in her car and off they went,” she said.
MacCallum plans to spend time with her children and grandchildren once she is retired.
CovER photo By JonAthAn RilEy/ tRuRo DAily nEws
Jane MacCallum says good-bye to Reese Smith and Kim Cavanaugh at Harmony Heights School on her last day driving students for the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board on Wednesday.