The last student

CBC

26-06-2025

The school will sit empty, the ferry will cost millions. But for the 20 residents, the cost of staying — and leaving — runs deeper than dollars.
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Caroline Hillier Jun. 26, 2025
Walking into Fudge's Store in McCallum — where there are no roads and only footpaths — is like walking back decades into Newfoundland's outport past.
A pallet load of groceries arrives here by ferry just once a week, and you only pay in cash.
When tourists pop in, they often have the same questions for its owner. Did she grow up here? How harsh are the winters? And perhaps the most predictable question of all: is this a dying community?
On my own visit, I follow suit and ask: is this a dying town?
'You can look at it that way. But I mean, really, that's no way to live,' Michelle Durnford says from behind the counter of the store her father started in 1964.
'So you kind of live your life day by day, and make decisions every day based on, you know, what's happening for you at the time.'
McCallum's place on Newfoundland's south coast redefines what it means to be rural.
There are no roads, no cars, and the only regular way in or out is by ferry, with the next closest community a 90-minute boat ride away.
Helicopters come and go occasionally, if the emergency is big enough and the weather calm enough.
The only student
Of the 20-odd people that live here, Michelle Durnford's son Noah Durnford is — by far — the youngest person in town. He's the only student at St. Peter's All Grade, and he's graduating.
That leaves the school with no students and no reason to open next year.
'It's sad because, you know, I went there myself. I graduated there. And I guess you kind of knew that it was coming because there was no more small kids,' Michelle Durnford said. 'But still, it is sad. Yeah, it's hard to see it.'
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She says Noah is a bit of a prankster, but in interviews Noah comes across as pretty quiet.
'I still have friends and stuff, they just moved away,' said Noah.
When he started kindergarten, there were 15 students in his class. By the time he reached Grade 10, there were no other students left in the school. There wasn't even a teacher, so he did all his courses online.
His mom gave him the option of moving away to finish high school with classmates, but he wanted to stay.
Before Noah started Grade 11, things turned around. Sarah Carter, originally from the small town of Twillingate, accepted a double role at St. Peter's as both its principal and teacher.
She fell in love with the town as soon as the ferry pulled up to the wharf.
'I wouldn't even be able to explain it. It's almost like a glow that I feel, just this warm glow that it gives off the minute you see it,' said Carter.
'It's just such warmth and positivity that pictures and videos, as beautiful as they are, can't capture. And you really have to see this place for yourself in order to fully appreciate the magic that is here and the magic that the people are.'
There's small, and then there's McCallum. (Population: 20 or so). There's one teacher at the school, and one student - who's just about to graduate. Producer Caroline Hillier takes us to this isolated Newfoundland community to find out what comes next.
Resettlement: a sensitive topic
A walk along McCallum's neat and tidy boardwalks brings out a surprising amount of life: a dog walker, fishermen cleaning and packing their catch for a ferry ride to processing plants. People nod, and stop to chat, but most do not want to be recorded for audio or video interviews.
Perhaps because of its geographical location, McCallum has long kept to itself, with any troubles and triumphs mostly unseen.
The last time McCallum was in the headlines it stirred up a debate about relocation, a provincial government program that provides financial incentives for residents to leave communities deemed too expensive to run.
For a community to relocate, at least 75 per cent of its residents have to vote in favour of leaving, and a cost benefit analysis is calculated to ensure the government would save at least $10 million dollars over 20 years. If everything falls into place, like it has in the recent past for Little Bay Islands and William's Harbour, households get up to $260,000 each to move.
In 2015, the local service district of McCallum initiated the first step of the relocation process. But with only 74 per cent of the community interested in relocation, the process ended. Still, there was some sensitivity between residents who wanted to stay and those who wanted to leave.
A new 'curiosity'
If the resettlement conversation comes up again, Julian Casey said he will be staying in McCallum, even if everyone else votes to leave.
'I'll be here anyway. My one house is off-grid,' he said.
'I would get myself a bigger boat so I could commute back and forth if the ferry is cancelled. But I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here.'
Going out with a bang
Casey, along with everyone else in McCallum, is invited to the social event of the season: Noah Durnford's graduation.
Carter has been hard at work planning a big party beyond the ceremony, complete with cold plates and a red carpet.
'We're gonna make an evening of it, and we're going to go out with a bang. It's only one student, but he deserves this. And I want to do this for him,' she said.
Inviting the entire community is only natural, she said, as they want to show their support with a big send-off for St. Peter's.
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'It's going to be kind of casual and have some fun and say goodbye to not only Noah actually, but to the school itself,' said Carter.
According to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, St. Peter's All Grade hasn't yet gone through the necessary review process – which would provide public notice and opportunity for public input – to formally close the school.
Noah isn't yet sure what he'll do next. He hasn't applied for post secondary education and says it will take some time to decide if he'll leave or stay in McCallum.
'Probably one day I'll go somewhere. It's possible I'd move,' he said.
The connection to place
But with no one to teach, Carter will most certainly be moving on.
She's leaving with some big life lessons, she said, about the art of slowing down, and the importance of appreciating place and community.
As she packs up, however, she believes McCallum will remain.
'I don't ever get the sense of a community closing its doors and shutting itself off and calling it quits. I don't get that feeling,' said Carter.
'The people here have such a strong connection to this place. But I feel that there is a positivity and a resilience about this place and I have high hopes, I really do.'
Credits:
Words, photos and audio documentary by Caroline Hillier.
Video by Katie Breen.
Copy editing by Lindsay Bird and Mike Moore.
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