The Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority recently inaugurated the "Retirement Cape Breton Program." The program was initiated from the enormous number of expatriate Cape Bretoners scattered across Canada and the United States who have a strong desire to return "home." This new program not only helps them bridge the gap to their retirement dreams, it also possesses an enormous positive impact for the local economy.

The program serves two roles: marketing the Island as a retirement destination, and providing information and assistance to people who are interested in retiring in Cape Breton. To assist in the marketing and servicing effort, the Authority has enlisted the help of numerous volunteers who recently retired to Cape Breton and who formed the Retirement Cape Breton Ambassador Committee. Dave and Bev Cooper are one of the couples within this unique group.

David and Bev Cooper sometimes refer to their life before they came back to Cape Breton as their "other life". That's probably because it bears so little resemblance to what life is like for them now.

Both Dave and Bev are Cape Bretoners by birth, but shortly after they were married in 1960 they left the Island and have been away for almost 40 years.

Dave recently retired from the Armed Forces as a Lieutenant Colonel after 37 years of service. It was a career he's proud of, a career that took him to many cities in Canada and as far away as Germany and the Middle East. But life was hectic during those years and Dave found little time to become involved in anything other than his career.

Bev is a banker and in spite of Dave's frequent postings, she was able to make her way up the corporate ladder at the Toronto-Dominion Bank. Life in the city was, for Bev, a constant struggle with traffic, tight schedules and rushed meals. With a demanding job, a daughter to raise and a household to run, Bev's life was anything but tranquil.

But all that has changed. Although Bev still works part time in the banking business, it's nothing like it was in the city. She can drive to work now in ten minutes compared to the hours she used to spend battling city traffic. She has plenty of time now for her gardening, her friends, and the other leisurely pastimes that add joy to her life.

As for Dave, retirement couldn't agree with him more. He now has time to get involved in community activities and volunteer organizations, and in fact, his life can still get pretty hectic at times. But just enough, Dave says, to keep him happy. He likes the caring and sharing attitudes he finds in Cape Breton and the ease with which he has been accepted into the community.

Perhaps it's because Dave and Bev have traveled so much that they really notice and appreciate the sense of permanency they find here and the security of being so close to their roots. They find the environment from a human point of view very stable and predictable, although they're still a little surprised when a stranger stops to talk to them on the street or in the grocery store. Perhaps they've just been away too long.

For David and Bev, coming back home to Cape Breton was like starting a new life. The stability, peace and freedom they've found here reminds them daily that they made the right decision.