The Rural Voice, 2004-03, Page 3650 years of farming memories
A Euphrasia Township couple remembers what farming was
like after World War II as they receive their
Agricultural Heritage Award
By Marc A. Huminilowycz
Ken and Betty Weller (centre) receive the Euphrasia Township Federation of
Agriculture Heritage Award from Dave Clarke (left) and Randy Woodhouse in
a ceremony in Rocklyn in January.
Betty and Ken Weller enjoy a
tasty pot -luck dinner at
Rocklyn Community Centre.
It's Sunday, January 25 and they've
been presented with the annual
Euphrasia Township Agricultural
Heritage Award for over 50 years of
farming, land stewardship and
contribution to the local community.
As they bask in the friendly
atmosphere with friends, family and
neighbours, Betty and Ken fondly
remember how it all began. It was in
Toronto during the heady days after
the war. Betty, who had come to
work in a munitions factory making
Bren Guns, met Ken, who had just
32 THE RURAL VOICE
returned from serving as an army
medic during the liberation of France
shortly after D -Day.
Following a brief courtship, which
included leisurely motorcycle rides
from Toronto to Hamilton for a cup
of coffee, the couple married in 1947
and returned to their rural roots.
(Both Betty and Ken grew up on
farms — Betty near Parry Sound and
Ken in Euphrasia Township). In the
same year, they bought a 100 -acre
farm in Euphrasia just south of
Duncan, directly across the road
from the Weller farm where Ken was
born.
The couple started their mixed
farming operation with five cows
from Veterans' Affairs, another cow
and a team of work horses from
Ken's father Asa, and five heifers
from Betty's dad, Charlie. They also
bought a bred sow from Bert
Collins, and some horse implements
from a neighbour for $20. Ken built
stalls to house the animals and fixed
up a barn on the property that hadn't
been used for a while.
Betty and Ken remember the
way things were in their first
years on the farm.
"Back then, there was no tractor,
no hydro, no indoor plumbing, no
TV, and no insulation either," Ken
recalls. Betty adds that the house was
always cold in the winter, despite the
heat from a wood stove.
T:ie Welters were one of 12
families sharing one phone line, and
the roads were never cleared of snow
as they are today. "If someone was
taking a sleigh to the market in
Heathcote, they would pick up
groceries for everyone," says Betty.
"In those days, neighbours would
visit each other regularly, and we all
helped one another."
A short time after settling into
their lives together in Euphrasia
Township, Betty and Ken had two
daughters — Nancy and Brenda —
and bought the Weller family farm
when Ken's dad Asa became ill.
With a lot of hard work, the family
built their cattle herd to 80, with
some 40 sows on the go. Betty spent
her days caring for the pigs while
Ken tended the fields, picked apples
and worked at the local ski club to
supplement the farm income.
In 1974, after many years of
coping with a nagging back injury
sustained during the war, Ken had to
give up beef and pig farming. It was