Opposites attract goes the old saying. Anyone who doubts the validity of that adage has yet to meet Barbara and Norman Corbett of Gibsons.
The Corbetts, who celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on Sept. 7, are definitely opposites.
Barbara is, in her own words, feisty -her mate is soft spoken. Norman is an agnostic, Barbara a passionate Anglican. Barbara is gregarious and outgoing while Norman prefers the quiet life and his own company.
But those are only surface facts about this amazing couple.
In their own ways, both have been life-long learners. Barbara, who calls herself a seeker, has travelled the world over. And unlike many of us who make week-long stops overseas, this Gibsons senior has stayed long enough in many countries to actually learn from the natives.
"I did it because I wanted to see if the world is different over there, and it is," she said.
One trip that had a profound effect on her was a month-long journey to China with the Living Tao Foundation. The organization's objective is to establish the parallels between Eastern and Western philosophies, physical disciplines and fine arts. It helped Barbara understand some of the differences between the two worlds.
Another trip the intrepid traveller took was a four-month sojourn to India. Other long stays have been in Japan and South America.
Barbara said she caught the travel bug from her parents. Her dad was a cabinet minister in the government of McKenzie-King and he and her mother would travel for two months at a time when Barbara was a child.
"I was never allowed to go with them because I was too noisy," she exclaims.
Both the Corbetts were born and grew up in Ontario. They met on a blind date during World War II. Norman was going to the Royal Military College in Kingston. He graduated in 1942 and went overseas in August of that year. His dad, a soldier in WWI, had re-enlisted in the second war and was in command of the Canadian Artillery School in southern England. The younger Corbett was first stationed in England where he and his father saw a lot of each other. Norman was dispatched to the continent a week after D-Day. He was injured in March 1945 when the Canadian army went into Germany. He got out of the hospital the night the armistice was signed. He came home in early 1946, then went back to Holland and Germany with the army occupation."The first job I got in Holland was the manager of a Dutch hotel on the sea. We set up a leave centre at the hotel; I was the Canadian rep there. The members of the regiment would come for three-day stays at the hotel for a break in their routines," he said.
"I came home at Christmas. My brother was [overseas] too. We found ourselves on the same boat coming home," he said.
After returning to Canada, he went on to get a professional engineering degree from the University of Toronto. From there he went to work for Ontario Hydro for over 30 years.
In the meantime, prior to their marriage, Barbara was working to fulfill her dream of becoming a nursing sister. "I finished my training the day the war ended, and there went my career," she laughs.
After the marriage came four children in five years.
"I had my first baby and thought, 'I'll do this instead of nurse,'" she said.
A trying period in 1955 had Barbara looking for something else in her life.
"I needed something in my life, and someone said it was God, so I went to the Anglican Church. The priest said to get confirmed, and so I did," she said.
Ever since that time Barbara has been active in her faith. Right now, taking care of Norman takes a lot of her time. But in the past she's been a Sunday school teacher as well as played an active role in other church positions.
Barbara has always been busy.
"I'm hyperactive," is her succinct description of herself.
While Barbara was out learning things and taking care of her family, Norman was developing another skill. He is a fantastic photographer. The walls of their comfortable home in Gibsons are covered with the professional-quality pictures the retired man has taken.
"I spent a lot of time with my camera, once a year with a group of photographers," he said.
The photos speak for themselves. Scenes from Howe Sound, the Oregon coast, California and New Brunswick are but a few displayed at their home.
What the couple, who came to the Sunshine Coast in 1984, has in common is a love of family and each other. "I've always considered family most important," said Norman.
The sentiment is echoed by Barbara, "Family was very important. I was a stay-at-home mother,"And all of that has added up to a rich and varied life together for 59 years. And Barbara isn't done yet.
"I have a date in Taiwan when I'm 90, so I hope to be able to live that long."
That's only seven more years for this remarkable couple.
