The Coolen Sibling Retreat

Seven sisters and one brother gather yearly to share good times, laugh, cry and reminisce

- Gaye Coolen

For the past 15 years, on a June weekend, my seven siblings and I—children of the late Lois and Herbert Coolen of Wolfville, N.S.,—get together for a weekend getaway. Can you imagine eight siblings who want to get together? With a 22-year span between the eldest and the youngest, Violet, Esther, Austin, Christine, Bonnie, Pam, my twin Faye and I all look forward to sharing adventures of yard sales, delicious food, beachcombing, laughter and entertainment.

It all started with an idea that one of the youngest proposed after reading an article in a magazine about some sisters who planned an annual weekend retreat. In year one, only the sisters went to stay in a beautiful older farmhouse in Green Bay, N.S.

Sisters only, meant that seven of the eight of us attended. We planned a turkey dinner for Saturday night—who knew it would be over 30° C that day? There was even a heat warning that weekend—phew!

At each meal time we noticed the table place settings should have been for eight. There was always one lone plate in the cupboard. Someone was missing! Would our only brother, Austin, even want to spend a weekend with his sisters? We explained how it didn’t feel right without him. It wasn’t his fault he was the only male! We were really pleased that he agreed to join us on our annual adventure.