Retired Sergeant Tyson Matthew Bowen of Lorne, Pictou County passed away at the Aberdeen Hospital in the early hours of Sept. 3 at the age of 35.
Bowen was described in his obituary as a “fun, doting, wonderful daddy” of two young, beautiful daughters and the “fun uncle” to his nieces and nephew.
In 2005 Bowen joined the 1st Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders in Pictou. As a member of 2RCR 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, he served 15 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and rose up the ranks from rifleman to section commander. He served two combat tours in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2010.
Described in his obituary as “the rock that his comrades could lean on at any time, any place,” several years after his return, Bowen was diagnosed with PTSD, but his connection to the Canadian Military did not end when he was medically released in 2018. Instead his role pivoted to the founder of Real Canadian Recreation (RCR), a veteran’s retreat in Pictou County.
According to an article that was published in The Reporter back in 2020, Bowen was just trying to stay alive in the days and months after his early exit from the Canadian Forces.
A chance meeting with a fellow Cape Bretoner – retired sergeant and medical marijuana advocate Fabian Henry – landed Bowen an opportunity not only to help himself, but also hundreds more PTSD survivors like him.
Backed by the multi-million-dollar fortune Henry made after selling a chain of medical cannabis clinics called Marijuana for Trauma, Bowen acquired a 400-acre former dairy farm in Pictou County. He turned the spot into a not-for-profit eco-adventure park geared towards healing veterans, like himself, through nature.
The Isle Madame native, who moved to Pictou County when he was nine, credited his wife with the connection. Bowen was having trouble with his Department of Veterans Affairs paperwork and she urged him to make an appointment with Henry.
Bowen told Henry about his idea to help veterans. He said he was inspired to find a way to help after “just seeing and being in the treatment process and realizing that it’s not a cookie-cutter to fix mental health.”
Bowen purchased the farm in June 2019 with funds from the Global Alliance Foundation Fund (GAFF), a not-for-profit Henry co-founded.
Bowen hoped to raise about $500,000 to build out the various phases for his eco-adventure park, which included a $5,000 donation from Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43 in Port Hawkesbury in 2020.
Joined by his father Steve, the younger Bowen made a presentation to the local legion outlining his plans for the park, telling local legion members about how every-day life noises and events can trigger debilitating memories for PTSD survivors.
While the park is a 90-minute drive away from the Port Hawkesbury legion, its central location in Nova Scotia makes it a central location for vets from all over the Maritimes for daytrips or longer stays, he said.
Bowen planned barrack-style accommodations and other facilities in the more-than century-old barn on the property. A group of vets visited to help turn a pile of donated wood into A-frame cabins as an option for veterans visiting with their families.
Then in 2021, the Port Hawkesbury legion, along with other legion branches in the Strait area, decided to donate part of their proceeds from the poppy fund to Real Canadian Recreation.
Rod Corbett, Poppy Chair of the Royal Canadian Legion in Port Hawkesbury, said the legion wanted to help Bowen finish the work at his facility.
Corbett said the legion was “impressed” with the presentation Bowen gave a year prior and they wanted to continue helping, with plans to donate “a good chunk” of the poppy fund.
Because of the funding from the legions, Bowen said he was able to finish some remaining work on the 3,000 square foot facility before last winter.
The branch in Port Hawkesbury also wanted to get the word out about the work Real Canadian Recreation is doing, including a diving tank at the facility thanks to an arrangement with the military.
Bowen wanted the recreation area to be catered toward all members of the Canadian Armed Forces, serving or retired, young or old.
Bowen stressed the importance of being able to include family in the treatment process for veterans and serving members, especially at his facility. He said there is a need to “create a safe space” where veterans can be themselves and have family and peers around for support to help the healing process.
According to his obituary, many have benefited “from his humble heart, his open arms and his willingness to go out of his way to help others with basic manual labour, emotional battles and everything in between.” Above all, his family and friends said they are thankful for his heroic effort to advocate for change, it stated.
People are asked to consider making a donation to Real Canadian Recreation in the hopes that some of Bowen’s unfinished projects will be realized, and hopefully that will happen. A GoFundMe page was set up to help Bowen’s family, and Rec Fest 2022 is scheduled to take place at Real Canadian Recreation this Saturday.
Bowen also has an application with the Canada Revenue Agency to register the Real Canadian Recreation Society as a non-profit.
This veteran selflessly used his experiences and his pain to help others in similar situations, and the facility he helped build needs to be finished so others can get the support they need in the years to come.
PTSD, and other problems experienced by those who served this country, will not go away anytime soon, and veterans in need must be cared for and assisted.
Facilities like Real Canadian Recreation are a way to help, and also a way to keep the memory alive of a veteran who decided to roll up his sleeves and help others, even when he too was suffering.