Mr. Speaker, in March 1974, a 16-year-old girl from a Polish immigrant family went on a school trip to Greece. She was an adventurer with no fear. On that trip, she met a 19-year-old Dutch boy, also from an immigrant family. Back home, he asked her out on their first date and took her to the boys' athletic club, of which he was the president.
Even though he taught her how to drive a motorcycle, her parents approved of the nice Dutch boy. She graduated high school in June 1976 and two weeks later, on July 10, they were married. From starting out farming Dutch sets together and losing their entire crop to later farming with her family, they built a produce farm that became the first farm in Canada to market many potatoes. They raised three children on their own and then welcomed a fourth when he was 14. They volunteer in churches and are an example of putting faith first in all they do.
This incredible couple, Diane and Theo Rood, are celebrating 50 years of marriage on July 10. It is a milestone we seldom see. I am incredibly proud to call them Mom and Dad.
I thank them for their support and for always being an example of faith, family and love. Jeremy, Anna and I love them.
Congratulations, and happy 50th anniversary, Mom and Dad.