Born in the post First World War era, William ‘Bill’ O’Brien was born on May 6, 1921, and this year he celebrates 100 years of what he calls “living a very normal life. I have worked hard, spent my money wisely, taken care of my health, not abused my body, enjoyed my leisure time, made and kept good friends, and I have raised children who I am very proud of.”

O’Brien was born and raised on the O’Brien Farm on Lower Faraday Road near Coe Hill. He also raised his family there. He and his wife, Ruth (Ramage) had four children, Gilbert, Dan, Jackalin and Bill Junior. These days he enjoys keeping in touch with his grandkids and great-grandkids “I would say they are number one citizens of the country.”

O’Brien has been an outdoors man all his life. When he wasn’t out on the farm working, O’Brien could be found in the bush, hunting, fishing or trapping. “I had been trapping since I was in public school, and I did it up until a year ago,” O’Brien explains.
His favourite hunting memory was when he was a young lad out hunting with his dad and uncle. They had gone out to get some venison to store over the winter months, but what the dogs brought to them was something entirely different. At first, they couldn’t figure out what the young O’Brien had shot. Turns out it was a moose. “We had never seen one before This was when they first started coming to this area.” The moose was cleaned up and put into storage and it guaranteed that the families had a good supply of meat that winter.

Full story here.