Clarence and Dawn Wigmore will celebrate 50 years of marriage this July. They met 56 years ago in Prince Edward Island and I believe that they were soul mates from the start - a couple that completes one another and who met when the time was right. Here is their story in a nutshell.
Dawn (Halliwell) Wigmore, the eldest of three girls, was born at the family home in Stanchel, Prince Edward Island in 1945. Back then it was common to be born and baptized at home. Clarence said, "I believe Dawn was made to order just for me and sure enough she arrived in this world nine months after I was born."
Clarence, the second eldest of five children, was born in Summerside Hospital near his hometown of Breadalbane, Prince Edward Island in 1944.
They met in high school, they both hung around with the same group of friends and they were both raised on a farm so their way of life was similar. Dawn laughed and explained it like this, "I was having a Coke at a restaurant with some of my high school friends and in came Clarence with a group of his friends. He invited me to go for a ride and I did and I have been going for a ride with him ever since. After spending time together in the summer of 1964 we simply decided that we were an item and that one day we would get married; we were married two years later in Prince George."
Clarence had no interest in farming and moved to Toronto in January 1965. The day before he left he walked six miles to and from Dawn's house to say goodbye. Dawn visited him in Toronto at Easter that same year and again in July on her way to Prince George.
Clarence said, "We stayed in touch by letters which at the time required a five cent postage stamp. I arrived in Toronto straight from the farm and I remember getting off the subway and seeing my very first skyscraper and I thought 'wow now that is a building!' I worked for a trust company and in no time at all I had three promotions; I was making $265 per month which was not really a good wage. I worked there until December of 1965 and with $100 in my pocket I headed to Prince George by train where Dawn picked me up. When I arrived it was -40 C, the tires on the car were frozen and the nearly square tires made an awful sound as we drove away from the train station. When I came to Prince George, Dawn and I had agreed that it would be for two years and then we'd move to Ontario; needless to say we are still here and loving Prince George."
In 1962, Dawn's father helped her widowed aunt move to Edmonton, a road trip of over 4,700 kilometres in her Vauxhall car. He returned to P.E.I. and informed his wife and three daughters that they were moving west. For the next three years he continued to work the farm while he attended vocational school to learn the art of carpentry. During the same period of time Dawn completed high school and teacher's training. She taught Grades 1 to 8 in a one-room school at the young age of 18; she was only five years older than many of her students.
Her parents sold the family farm in 1965 along with 90 per cent of everything that was accumulated over three generations. They loaded the station wagon and a 16-foot travel trailer and Dawn, her parents and her sister Beverly headed to Prince George with the hope of good jobs in the construction industry for her father.
Dawn was the only family member with a confirmation of a job waiting upon their arrival. She had received, via telegram, an offer of a teaching position in Hixon with arrangements that she could commute from Prince George to Hixon with the principal of the school.
Clarence said, "When I got to Prince George in 1966 I found work with International Harvester on First Avenue in the shipping and receiving department. I found the job interesting and my farm experience helped me greatly; I knew which part fit which machine. After three months at International Harvester I moved on to Prince George Pulp & Paper to a position as engineering clerk for the construction of the Intercon Pulp Mill."
Clarence retired as materials manager, in 1998 after 34 years with Canfor. He said, "At their peak time Canfor employed over 1,000 people. I enjoyed many positions during my career and worked with a lot of great people."
Dawn's teaching career included teaching at Hixon elementary, Carney Hill elementary and after 1979 as teacher on call until her retirement; she retired in 1998 after 35 years of teaching. She still enjoys being greeted and remembered by her many students and teaching colleagues over the years.
Since their retirement they have traveled extensively. Clarence has a keen interest in genealogy and supporting Dawn with her many gardening projects. Together they keep busy with volunteer work as longtime supporters of Communities in Bloom and have served as directors of the board for the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society.
They have their own paradise in their back yard and it is called Overbrook Gardens - named after the family farm where Dawn was born. It is a magnificent award-winning garden that has been featured in the 2004 Gardens West Magazine. It features a waterfall, a goldfish pond and bordered with a huge rose garden just to give you an idea of the beauty of it all.
Clarence and Dawn and the garden bring to my mind the concept and the duality of yin and yang or the correct balance between two poles where each side has at its core an element of the other in order to achieve harmony.
