venture in the kitchen while having some- thing to eat or drink, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. And Julia knew as an experienced business executive just how to close this deal. So where does she make her pitch? On the very piece of property on which their future family dreams would be set, of course. “Julia took us down to the wetlands. She obviously picked the most beautiful time of day; the sun was setting, just glistening along the water,” said Paula. “Even though the view was abso- lutely stunning, the timing was ideal and
Sold on the idea, the process starts, with one of their friends, Steve, drawing a design for a potential 250-foot bridge across the wetlands on a napkin during a meeting. Once the design was com- pleted, it was a matter of acquiring all the required materials and shipping them to the island. In 2010 with the trusses underneath the bridge, construc- tion began. This meant maintaining the natural habitat and securing access to the future yurt site and stunning white sand beach. Kirribilli EcoRetreat - Pictou Island Yurts was coming to life. Soon running water, an
“Julia took us down to the wetlands. She obvious- ly picked the most beauti- ful time of day; the sun was setting, just glistening along the water,”
the location seemingly perfect but there was a problem. She desired to build the retreat on the other side of the wetlands.”
outdoor kitchen, and a beach pavilion were in the works. Julia was able to host a few day retreats. However, life had other plans for their journey, and tragedy struck the family. Julia was diagnosed with cancer and at that point, the business came to a standstill. Julia passed away in 2016 and the facilities were used to host Julia’s celebration of life - with an amazing marching band leading the entourage down the beach. After Julia’s passing, the family decided to continue her legacy. They also shifted gears, hosting group retreats - both wellness retreats as well as some small business retreats. When the calendar flipped to 2019, the Law’s decided it was time to start taking the business to the next level. They started the process of inves- tigating the logistics of opening for bookings with the general public. However, we all know what was coming for the entire planet that year, COVID hit, and government restrictions put a damper on so many personal and business plans, and the Kirribilli EcoRetreat – Pictou Island Yurts was no different. The Law’s were now
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MAY/JUNE 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • MAY/JUNE 2022
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