Life in rotations: A Father’s Day story from Cigar Lake

“I would always wait until my dad was back home to have my birthday parties,” she recalled. “My friends would be asking me, ‘When are you having your party?’ and I’d say, ‘No, I have to wait for my dad to get home.'”

Like many children whose parents work rotational schedules, Cessa said she understood the routine long before she understood the reason for it.

“It was different,” she said. “But something that I was used to, for sure.”

A son, then a father

The reality of missing family milestones is something Victor Fern Jr. understands all too well.

“It’s pretty difficult at times,” he said. “We do miss a few milestones.”

What makes Victor’s story unique is that he has experienced life from both sides.

Long before he was the father leaving for work, he was the child waiting for his own father to come home.

Brothers Marty and Victor Fern Jr. both followed in their father Victor Fern Sr.’s footsteps when it came to choosing a career path. All three men have had decades-long careers with Cameco. (Submitted)

Victor Fern Sr. also worked away from home, meaning the realities of rotational work shaped three generations of the family.

As a son, Victor understood what it felt like to miss his dad.

As a father, he understands what it feels like to miss his children.

“You got to have a really good support at home,” he said.

“Pretty fortunate for my father that my mother was good support as well, and same to go with my wife, where she’s able to support the family while I’m not home.”

While challenges remain, many things have changed since he was the child waiting at home.

Today, technology allows workers to stay connected to home in ways previous generations never could.

Victor laughs as he talks about nightly FaceTime calls with his seven-year-old son.

“He grabs the phone from my wife, and he’s got something he wants to show me,” Victor said. “He’ll grab it and run whenever he wants to show and tell.”

It’s a small thing, but one that helps close the distance.

Victor Fern Jr. emphasized that while having his father working away from home was difficult at times, the family always made the most of their time together. (Submitted)

A new perspective

For years, Cessa only saw mining life from the perspective of a daughter. Now she sees it from a different angle.

Today, she is a summer student with the radiation department at Cameco’s Cigar Lake operation.

For the first time, she’s spending her days in the same environment where her father has worked for much of her life. In the process, she said she’s gained a new appreciation for the sacrifices that came with it.

“When I was younger, it was definitely hard to understand,” Cessa said. “But when you’re older, you kind of see that he’s making sacrifices for his family.”

Being at the site has given her a firsthand look at what those rotations actually mean.

“It is a big sacrifice coming up to the mine for two weeks,” she said. “I bet he does feel sorry missing out on things, and he probably does feel like he’s missing out on some things in my life.”

The things that felt unfair as a child make more sense today.

“Being up here myself, it makes me see and get a good feel of what he’s been doing my whole life.”

The experience has also strengthened the admiration Cessa has for her father.

“He is a big inspiration,” she said. “I feel like if he wasn’t up here, this wouldn’t be something I would be doing. But seeing him doing it all my life, and him inspiring me, it’s pretty cool that I’m up here doing the same thing.”

Most days they’re busy with their own responsibilities, but every now and then their schedules line up.

“It’s pretty cool that he’s here on site,” Cessa said. “We get to have supper and lunch together and talk about our days.”

For a daughter who spent much of her childhood waiting for her dad to come home from work, those conversations carry extra meaning.

This Father’s Day, Cessa has a message for the man whose example helped shape her own path:

“Happy Father’s Day, Dad,” she said. “I appreciate you a lot for all the sacrifices you’ve made for us, my brothers and my mom. I appreciate you a lot, and I love you. Thanks for being such an inspiration in my life.”

For the Fern family, the story stretches across three generations — a grandfather who worked away from home, a son who followed in his footsteps and a daughter who now understands those sacrifices in a way she couldn’t as a child.

Growing up, Cessa measured time by rotations and by how many days remained until her dad came home.

Looking back, she measures those same years differently.

Not by the days he was gone, but by everything he gave his family while he was away.

Cessa Fern grew up counting the weeks until her dad, Victor Fern Jr., came home from Cameco’s Cigar Lake mine. Years later, she’s working there too — and seeing those years away in a different light. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)