b'Returning to Portafter 20 Years AwayWhy two Port Perry kids came homeOnepartfairytale,coincidence,in 2016, the two Port Perry kidsrstVancouver. On their 2016 Christmas Facebook and a love for their homestarted noticing that they were post- vacationshometovisitwiththeir townbroughttwoPortPerryHighing the same vacation sunset photosfamilies (both families have the last Schoolgraduateshomeaftermorefrom Lake Scugog on their FacebooknameSmith),theyhadtheirvery than 20 years away. Reconnected viapages.Unbeknownsttoeitherof dateatMarwansonQueenrst Facebook in 2016, Brent and Pamelathem, theyd been living parallel livesStreet.ThenewyearleadtoBrent Smith were married the next year infor20years,livingandworkingadoing multiple trips from Winnipeg BC, and then moved from Vancouverlong plane ride away and then usingtoVancouver,andthingsescalated to Port Perry in 2018. vacations to come back to Port Perryquickly. Pamela grew up on Fralicks beachto reconnect with family.InJulyBrentmovedtoBCto with her sisters and teacher parentsWhen Facebookrst caused thembewithPamelapermanently.The BevandPamSmith,whileBrenttonoticeeachother,Brentwasliv- two were soon married in a dreamy grew up on Alva Street (across froming in Winnipeg and Pamela was inPlease turn to page 58Apple Valley when it was still all ap-pleorchards)withhissiblingsand parentsLaurenceandCarolSmith. Asteenagers,Pamelaworkedasa busgirl at Haugens and then onto the Settlement House while Brent was at the Feedlot Restaurant and Gregorys Mens Wear.Awareofeachotherbutindif-ferent high school grades and Brent graduatedfromPortPerryHigh Schoolin1987andPamelagradu-atedin1989.WhichasBrentsays we were years apart in high school! BothleftPortPerryaftergraduat-ingPamela to Toronto for a while, then the mountains were calling her to move to Vancouver for 20 years. While Brent had moved and travelled in these years, he ended up settling in Winnipeg for a total of 23 years away. Though not together at the time, both had the privilege of west coast life in their late 20s and then back-packingindividuallytodi erent parts of the world. ie. Southeast Asia. Pamelascareerworklaterenabled hertoexperienceclientworkin Japan, UK and the US while Brent had the bene t of some brief marketing internships in both Saigon, Vietnam and Cairo, Egypt.Who knew they may have even crossed paths at some point.AlthoughdistantacquaintancesOne of Pamelas favourite places in BC was the beach at Spanish Banks.FOCUS - DECEMBER 202057'