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Apex: The Black Masters: New documentary explores golf and race in Nova Scotia
HALIFAX — Darrell Maxwell has fond memories of growing up next to the scenic golf course in the heart of the central Nova Scotia town of Truro, even though he wasn’t allowed to play there because of his race.
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 “The Island.”
Maxwell’s 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.
“It was right in our backyard and it was a playground for me, but we were restricted to caddying,” he said. “(Black) people from our community worked at the golf club, but we were forbidden to be members.”