46 years in Ottawa
 

I came to Ottawa with my wife and two kids (6&2) in July 1963. Computing Devices of Canada (now General Dynamics Canada) paid for our passage on the Cunard Carmania.

My wife and I have never regreted our move to Canada and consider ourselves Canadian first.
I believe our move not only gave us a better life but also our children. My son and his family live in Washington DC working for the IMF. He was with the Bank of Canada for 25 years and was offered a prestigious position at the IMF. His eldest son is a pilot with the UN and at this moment is in Chad. My daughter lives in Montreal where her husband works for Bombardier.

We spend 2 months of the winter ( Jan/Feb) in San Diego and have visited many of the places that make this continent a great place to live. We have rarely been back to the UK (last time in 1982).

Ottawa is a great place to bring up children and has 2 good universties and is the most stable for employment and housing in the country. At 78 I'm looking forward to many more happy years here.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Congratulations to you and your wife. I hope I can look back on our emigration with such pleasure. Moving countries is a big risk and takes a lot of effort and planning. It helps to read success stories such as yours which show that it is eventually all worth it.
Thanks for sharing.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

We never felt there was too much risk. Neither of us had clinging relations. We had been married 10 years (56 this year)
As to planning, I saw an add in the Sunday Telegraph in Jan 1963 and by March had an offer of employment. We had to sell a new house that we were due to move into in June. It quickly sold with a 10% profit (that was 1963 remember) and on the 1st July we sailed for Canada.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Keith, it's wonderful to hear that you have made a wonderful and complete life here in Canada. Congratulations to you and your wife for such a long and happy marriage too!

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Congratulations:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Best wishes to you and your family:)

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

HI Keith

Congratulations. It is so nice to hear a refreshing and positive side to things when you are preparing to up sticks shortly!!! (We pick our visas up in 2 weeks!)

Helen

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Congratulations to you and your family.Thanks for sharing your encouraging
life story with us.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbup::thumbup:

Yoong

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

That is Awesome:thumbsup:

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Excellent story and congratulations. There are some BE posters who seem to see their time in Canada as some sort of punishment and they are constantly bemoaning that things aren't like they were back in the UK and they fail to embrace Canada for what it is..a land of opportunity.

Believe me, you would see big changes since 1982 in the UK...sure the economy on paper is better than 1982, people have bigger houses etc, but the social problems are in many ways bigger and more evident.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

I see now. Your whats called part time Canadians a fair weather couple. 46 years in freezing cold guv town why I'm I not surprised. LOL you cheater. :p

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Thats one of the nice things about retirement here we have so many places to explore and you don't feel you are in a foreign land. We did try 2 months in the Algarve when we first retired but found the language barrier took away one of the pleasures of being able to converse with the locals.

I have been retired 17 years and look forward to Mondays.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Why San Diego, out of curiosity? I didn't think it was one of the snowbird destinations.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Exactly.
I tried Florida for several years and found it boring and expensive.

The temps in San Diego are not as high but there is lots of interesting places to visit and they have an excellent transit system so a car isn't needed (unless you want to spend a couple of day's in Las Vegas).

We rent a lovely 2 bedroom ground floor apartment ( on Mission Bay) for a third the cost of a similar property in Florida. Winter is off season in San Diego. Many people from Vancouver and Calgary spend winters there.

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

Congratulations on your many happy years in Ottawa!

I often wonder what it must've been like for immigrants who made the move back then in those "pre-internet" days. I have visions of families stepping off the boat with their suitcase in one hand and a pamphlet in the other!

We have so much knowledge at our fingertips and so many internet buddies to share experiences with, although I'm not sure that so much information is such a good thing sometimes. Back then it really was a leap of faith and good on you for making such a good go of it.

Hope you have many more happy years in Canada.:thumbsup:

Re: 46 years in Ottawa
 

That all makes perfect sense (lucky bastard).