No, really. It was bigger when I was a kid

In 2003, I realised my dearest ambition – to take my Australian family to my Canadian home to live and share some favourite experiences with them.

As a child, our roadtrip ‘out West’ from Ontario changed my life. Travelling by orange, 1974 Volkswagen camper, with the back labelled ‘The Great Pumpkin’ by Dad, we headed west from Calgary and the Rockies rose before us. I was transformed.

In the same spirit, and forgetting all concomitant mechanical nightmares, my wife and I bought a 1987 grey Volkswagen camper in Vancouver, naming it ‘Bruce’.

The Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff is spectacular beyond words. I will never forget my four year old’s excitement when she alighted from the Snowcoach on the Athabasca Glacier and walked that expanse of ice.

Back in Ontario, we enjoyed comparing our recent snaps with Mom’s fading photos from the seventies. And then two photos struck us with an awesome realisation.

In just 25 years, my favourite glacier had shrunk massively. I saw, in the very place that inspired my professional calling, a vivid image and personal experience of our changing climate.