Making a Difference

The Lives of Jack and Joan Verney

This is a book about two people, the authors parents, Jack and Joan Verney, who lived through remarkable times and did some extraordinary things. Born in Britain after the First World War, they were shaped by the Great Depression, the Second World War, and post-war austerity. Among their extraordinary actions: Jack ran away from home at a time when rebellion against parental authority was a rare phenomenon; he and Joan took the chance of getting married on the basis of a few meetings before the Second World War and some correspondence during it, and despite problems, they endured as a couple; and, with three young children, in 1957 they uprooted and moved to Canada, where, in a succession of western Canadian communities and finally in Ottawa, they achieved more of note, Jack through his teaching, writing, and volunteer work, Joan through her own volunteer work and devotion to family. In short, they made a difference.