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6- Tbe Golden Years Supplement, Wednesdav, Marcb 21, 1979 Living in a Tent, and Making" 33 Cents an Hotur Didn't Stop Couple from Staying Together When tbey started out they lîved in a tent and he made 33 cents an bour. Today tbey live in Bowmanviile, close to one of their sons, and are enjoying their 5lst year of marria ge. According to Ambrose O'Reilly and bis wife, it would have been ail too easy for them to throw in the towel back in 1932, but tbey didn't.- Wben his job as a steel worker disappeared, Mr. 0'Reiliy took his wife to the Ottawa Valley wbere bis parents lived. The depression bad just begun and work was scarce. He took a job in Val Dor, Quebec, in tbe gold mines. Five years later he got his firstraise from 33 to 37 cents an hour, Life was tough in the depression, but Mr. and Mrs. O'Reilly believe that it was this adversity and tribulation wich brought tbem dloser together -and gave tbem a stronger desire to make everything work out. "lI wouldn't change anything", said Mr. O'Reiily, "I'd stili marry tbe same girl." When tbey moved to Val Dur, the O'Reilly's lived in a tent until the mining company built log cabins for the workers. Today, those cabins stand as a historic monument to tbese workers. The ýdepression was the great 'equalizer for the O'Reilly's: It played no favorites. Doctors and lawyers worked alongside the common laborers in' the mines. As Mr. O'Reilly puts it, "We bad nothing. We were a Il poor as church mice, but we shared with the other guy." '"We got furniture for $25: a wbole bouse full of furniture. There were no big sbots then: everyone was poor. If you went somewbere and you could brmng a bottle of beer, you brougbt it. If you c-ould bring a loaf of bread you brought it. If. you couldn't afford anythîng, you just brought yourself." Mr O'Reilly remembers bis first radio. How he and ten others would listen to the war news every night, the hockey ganies,. and the Grand Ol' 0pg.1 Together they remember the cold of the cabin after the fiiling between the logs blew out. They rémember the struggle. "You were bappy just to have a job in those days," Mr. O'Reilly said. "A lot of young people like us through in the towel, but you've got to, take life as it cornes. We talked a lot and we did everything together. That's important. Today too many couples do different things and you neyer see tbem together. We always did everything together. If I went to play cards she went. We did àt together, and we- talked everytbing over." Mrs. O'Reiliy agrees witb ber husband. Communication between married people is important to the O'Reilly's. Mrs. O'Reilly relates how if their two sons wanted anything they would come home and ask for it; and then the matter would be discussed between everyone. "We tried to raise our boys like that," said Mrs. O'Reilly. "We wanted.itbem to realize that there was nothing tbey could do that was too bad, that we couldn't fix up. Weneyer had any trouble with them." Their sons, one living ini Bowmanville and the other in Tbompson, Manitoba, bave eight cblldren. The O'Reillys are not only proud grand- parents, though-tbey are also the proud great-grandparents of two childreni. Nowadays, the O'Reillys spend tbeir tirne gardening, playing cards at the llbrary, lawn bowling 'and partici-; pating in tbe varions senior citizens activities around town. They believe tbey've had a very good life and happy 50 years together. "Neyer any real trouble; arguments, yes, but neyer had any trouble getting along", said Mr. 0'Reilly. "We had nothing. But we had the two of us and that was al we wanted." Fifty Years of Marriage Pas sed Q When Jacob Lotsma and bis wife look back on tbeir 51 years together, the one thing that stands out is tbe quickness witb wich tbe years passed. Mrs. Lootsma is amazed at bow fast those years went by and wonders where ail tbýe time went. Yet the Lootsmas managed to cram - a lot into those 50 years. Married in 1928, they came to Canada from Holland in 1950. Mr. Lootsma uwned a store in Holland, bowever, after the war be and is wife felt a need to move, and wanted to leave Europe. Their sponsor found a home for them in Bethany, altbougb they soon moved to Burketon and then to Bowmanville in October, 1951. Mr. Lootsma started farming in Bethany, but on coming to Bowmanville, be worked at many different jobs. In 1957, he took a position at the Whitby Psyciatric clinic and worked there until is retirement several years ago. One of tbe outstanding things about the Lootsma' marriage is the reluctance of either to mention any trouble spots. Mrs. Lootsma said confidently they encuuntered nothing tbey could bonestly cail hard times, and found littie of the going difficuit. Indèed, the most difficuit part of their life, according to them, was learning English wben tbey came to Canada. Mr. Lutsma said that it was' extremely difficuit since they were both about 50 years old and bad not bad the contact with Englisb that today's Dutch have. According to Mrs. Lootsma,' it was very difficuit for ber because she wasn't working- and therefore didn't have tbe contact witb the people ber husband and children bad. The Lootsma bave seven, cildren, 19 grandcbildren and 6 great grandchildren: ail of whomn are a source of great pleasure. Two of the Lootsmas chindren were married before the couple lef t Holland. "4Today we keep the garden", said Mrs. Lootsma. "The nicest thîng is doing only what we want to do. Weý are our own boss. No one to ask, just do what we want. This is a really enjoyable time of marriage. When you don't have to worry about wbat'you sbould do, or what you can do." M. Ïr. Lootsma agrees, but says tbey were most tbankful for their bealth. They've neyer- had any real trouble with sickness or injuries and they're glad of that. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lootsma have been back to Holland twice since 1950 and they enjoy going. uickly for Mr. Lootsma stili bas a brother there and they like to visit bim. They were in Holland last year. One of the Loutsmas daughters now lives in Prince Edward Island, wbile the other is in Goose Bay. Their otber children live in tbe Durbam Region or in tbe immediate area. For Mr. and Mrs. Lootsma, tbe secret of a successful marriage was bard work. Tbey believe marriage bas changed over the years, bowever, they don't believe tbey could pinpoint in what exact way. 'Il would say that iit's different today",' said Mrs. Lootsma. 'Il can't tell you how but it sure is." It was in 1918 that Thomas Allan Fisher bhad driven bis sisters to Ashburn Presbyter- ian Cburcb in bis father's car and later asked Ruby Leacb if sbe would like a ride,. The two bad known eacb otber before, but not to be alone. They were both fromn Asbburn. His parents had a farm just outside the town and sbe lived right in Asbburn. Ruby was from a famnily of 5 and Thomas, fromn a family of 9. Tbe following year, on August 27th, tbey were marrîed by Reverend Haig at the minister's residence in Brooklin. Mr. Fisher, at that time, was doing mixed farming on land on Taunton Road whicb he had bougbt from bis father the year before. Before tben, he had done a lot of travelling out to tbe west coast of ,Canada, working on farms along tbe way. He bad spent some time in Vancouver, Manitoba and aso Sudbury, wbere be worked in the bush. Wben the barvest was over, he came back east. He continued farming on bis land until Good Friday in 1956 when he sold ail but one third, of an acre of tbe 100-acre parcel. They buiit a bouse dloser to the road with wood from some of the trees on the property. The Fishers believe, the reason most couples dun't stay together today is that tbey have an argument and leave each other. Mrs. Fisher said tbat most of the time, she just drops tbe argument rather tban carry it too far. Most arguments don't amount to very mucb anyway. Another problem, they feel Couple Mr. and Mrs. Loots ma are happy living in the Durham Region and>are pleased with the people they've met bere. Work is wbat brougbt them to Bowmanville and they have no plans on moving even tbougb, work isn't what keeps tbemn bere. Mrs. Lootsma said they bave a few friends, and aren't interested in cultivating many.e "I don't know if we'd do it al the same way again", they said. "If we didn't know anytbing we would probably do it the same way. But we have 50 years to tbink about and you don't know wbat you'd do if you had them to live over. It is a bard 'question to answer." causes rQany-couples to splît up, is alcobol. They feel there is difficuity caused especialiy wben one drinks and the other doesn't. Tbe Fishers bave five children, 16 grandchildren and over 20 great grandchildren. 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