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Darrell Maxwell has fond memories of growing up next to the scenic golf course in the heart of the central\u00a0Nova\u00a0Scotia\u00a0town of Truro, even though he wasn\u2019t allowed to play there because of his race.<\/p>\n
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The 78-year-old Ottawa resident recalled in a recent interview that some of his earliest memories are linked to the Truro Golf Club, which runs parallel to a small, little-known historical Black community known as \u201cThe Island.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maxwell\u2019s lifelong love affair with golf began at age five, when he started caddying at the club for a group of white, female golfers, earning 50 cents for nine holes. At the time, being a caddie was the only way for him to access the golf course.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was right in our backyard and it was a playground for me, but we were restricted to caddying,\u201d he said. \u201c(Black) people from our community worked at the golf club, but we were forbidden to be members.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The evolving relationship between residents of The Island and the golf course is the subject of a new documentary by Halifax-based filmmakers Brittney Gavin and Amy Mielke. \u201cApex: The Black Masters\u201d will begin streaming on CBC Gem on Friday. It describes how the area\u2019s Black community went from being barred from the club to hosting a golf tournament on the greens for the last 50 years.<\/p>\n
The film is the brainchild of Gavin, who grew up in the Halifax area but spent many summers of her youth visiting her grandmother, who lived in the small community composed of 28 houses along West Prince Street, adjacent to the golf course. The district got its name, The Island, decades ago because it was often isolated by flooding during periods of heavy rain.<\/p>\n
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