Rene and Maria Ferrer

Every February of every year, Rene and Maria Ferrer celebrate with a special dinner to mark a milestone in their lives: the day they arrived in Peterborough in February 1989 and made it their new home. Twenty-two years have gone past, but the significance of that moment has not been forgotten.

Maria, a copywriter, and Rene, an accountant, had good jobs in the Philippines, but Canada beckoned. For them, Canada held the promise of better educational opportunities for their son, who was three when they made the decision to immigrate.

As with all beginnings, starting over was tough. Rene’s sister, already living in Lakefield, opened her home to them and drove them to Peterborough every morning on her way to work, where Rene and Maria stayed all day to look for jobs. Looking for work was a challenging experience.

Rene’s university degree from the Philippines was not recognized in the Canadian labor market. Wanting to work in his field, he applied to have his credentials evaluated. Although some of his foreign-earned courses were granted equivalency, he needed to go back to school to acquire a Canadian accounting designation – something which was not only time-consuming but also expensive.

With hard work, however, opportunities opened up for them within the year. They landed their dream jobs: Maria as a copywriter for a radio station, where she still works today, and Rene as an accountant. They then moved into their own apartment located in a good neighbourhood, close to nearby shops, a library, and a church.

Even more challenging than looking for work, however, was their cultural dislocation from Manila. They missed their friends and relatives in the Philippines. The Filipino community in Peterborough, however, became a pillar of support for the family, as were their new-found friends. But the greatest support they received as parents came from their employers. This became clear when in 1992 they celebrated the birth of their second son.

“They [our employers] made it easy for both of us to take time off to watch our boys’ school and sporting events, or to stay home with them when they got sick,” said Maria.

Rene and Maria wanted to be involved in the community and volunteered at their sons’ schools, which allowed them a closer glimpse of the boys’ school life and social integration. They also encouraged the boys to take part in extra-curricular activities, which gave them opportunities to expand their social circles and to gain social and cultural experience. The boys grew up to become well-rounded, well-adjusted and intelligent young men who earned above-average school marks while working part-time jobs. Twenty-two years later, the son who was three years old when Maria and Rene came to Peterborough has successfully put himself through university, graduated with honors, and now travels the world working for his engineering firm in Ontario. The youngest son is studying in the engineering program at Queen’s University, where he was offered a scholarship to cover his first-year tuition fees. They are all proud to call Peterborough home!