Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Colville Lake ( Jun 12/00) - Robert and Jo-Ellen Lyslo came North looking for a change of pace.

Both teachers, the former residents of Cofield, Alta., found what they sought in this community of 105 people in August 1998. They came to teach at the Sahtu hamlet's one-room school, hoping the community's isolation would provide the change they were after.

They took on the challenge even though both were in their 50s, choosing a path usually taken by young teachers fresh out of university.

"We decided, even at our age, to do something different," said Robert Lyslo.

"We decided the North would be an interesting and challenging place to go."

The opportunity also came at a time when both were looking for something different.

"I was 50 when we met three years ago. My wife was teaching in Alberta. I had retired from teaching and was working in the funeral business in Cofield, Alta."

By the next year, they were making plans to come North, sending resumes to several school districts. In May 1998, they received a phone call from Colville Lake requesting a telephone interview -- the rest is history.

"One reason we were offered the job, was because Colville Lake is a fly-in community and they thought a husband and wife team would be suitable here," Lyslo explains, referring to the difficulties a teacher new to the North might face in an isolated community.

Planes got smaller

The couple was soon making arrangements for the big move up North -- ordering food and supplies and deciding what personal possessions to take along. They arrived in Colville Lake by float plane on Aug. 14, 1998.

"The planes kept getting smaller as we went along," said Lyslo, but arriving in the community was a pleasant surprise.

"We were surprised when we got here to find a beautiful, two-storey log house, located a stone's throw from the lake and 60 steps from the school."

Within 48 hours of stepping off the plane, however, disaster nearly struck.

"There was a health centre being built here and the guys who were putting in the drywall were from our home town," Lyslo said.

After the unexpected meeting, the reunited Cofield compatriots -- except Mrs. Lyslo -- decided try their luck fishing the hamlet's namesake lake.

The fish -- as expected -- were very bountiful, perhaps too much so, as the fishermen began to realize at the end of the day. They were running out of gas and daylight was beginning to fade.

"We had just enough time to get back before it started getting dark, but we forgot to check the gas and we were in the middle of the lake," said Lyslo.

"We ended up paddling. We had one good paddle and one broken one, and five guys in the boat.

"We paddled from 11:30 to 4:30 in the morning. We would've gone the rest of the way but a storm was coming up and we were forced to camp on an island."

By this time, a panic-stricken Mrs. Lyslo was frantically calling the chief, Richard Kochon, to help search for her missing husband, who had arrived less than two days before.

Later that morning, a very sheepish Mr. Lyslo was being towed back to town (and to a very concerned newlywed wife) by Kochon and subchief, Alvin Orlias.

"Needless to say, we were the talk of town," Lyslo laughed.

With one minor faux pas out of the way, it was time for the couple to get back to what they knew best -- teaching.

Return to roots

"Teaching in Colville Lake, in some ways, took us back to the early days of teaching in Alberta with one classroom and multiple grades," said Lyslo.

"We also had to rewrite the curriculum to match the interests and experiences of the students."

It took very little coaxing for the Lyslos to adapt to the lifestyle of a Northern community. The couple relished watching caribou stroll by on the lake ice by the kitchen window, attending feasts and drum dances and cross-country skiing the pristine Sahtu wilderness.

"One of the things that I found different, is time isn't as important as what we were use to," said Lyslo.

"People are more relaxed here. School doesn't start at 9 a.m. sharp, let's put it that way."

Lyslo contends that it has been just as much a learning experience for himself and his wife as it has been for their students.

"We're taking a phrase a week in Sahtu Dene, along with the students, in an attempt to learn their language," he explained.

"In such a small community, there are elders who don't speak English at all and we'd like to be able to talk to them. We also want to encourage the children and impress upon them the importance of learning their native language."

After two years, the couple says that they are already looking forward to next year.

"The year's almost over but we're already looking forward to the fall," Lyslo said.

"The whole community, including the kids, go out on the annual caribou hunt to the Barren Lands -- a week of hunting, camping, drying meat."

"The parents are friendly and supportive and the children are eager to learn," said Mrs. Lyslo.

"We're looking forward to continued productivity in the future."