Drive east on Highway 18 and you’ll see a white house tucked behind hundreds of pink, purple and white perennials.
It’s a typical Westlock home that lays claim to one of the most unique couples in town.
“She’s got a story to tell,” said homeowner Mel Primrose when asked about his wife. “And I’d like this to be about her.”
Jean Cobban, 90, immigrated to Westlock more than a decade ago and built a life with her Scottish family in Canada.
“I’m Scottish and I’m proud of it,” she exclaimed with a giggle. “What can I tell you that he hasn’t already told you about?”
Primrose smiled at his wife and suggested inviting me inside for a cup of tea.
As a former student in Scotland, I was eager to learn more about her life.
“What part of Scotland are you from,” I asked, “and how did you end up in Westlock?”
Cobban laughed loudly and slowly took a sip of her tea, then gazed over the tea cup at me.
“Everybody asks that,” she replied with a hint of amusement. “I’m a country girl. I’ve always been a country girl.”
Cobban’s father taught her about gardening as a child and her passion to continue working in the yard has continued to grow.
“It takes a lot of hard work,” she said. “But then again, what doesn’t? Can you name one thing that’s worthwhile that doesn’t take a lot of hard work?”
Her life echoed that sentiment.
Cobban chose to immigrate to Canada with her previous husband. The couple ultimately made the move to join their extended family and find “better” jobs.
“It turned out, there weren’t any jobs here at that time either,” she said. “But Canada offered a better life for us. We raised our kids next door to Mel for years, but I never really knew him.”
After the bereavement of her late husband, Primrose began to offer Cobban help around the farm and she took it.
She smiled and expressed gratitude for her personal “fix it” guy.
“There are people who can work well to medium, and there are people who work fast,” Cobban explained. “I’m just lucky to have him as a husband now. He doesn’t understand well-to-medium though. He’s a fast worker and knows what he’s doing.”
Ultimately, the duo discovered a lot of common ground, ranging from a love of dancing to gardening, and decided to get married.
“I brought my flowers with me when I came over here,” she added, explaining the process of transplanting flowers from one acreage to another. “Then he rototilled the raised beds and built me a long white fence that goes onto the road, after that, he said that was it.”
More than five years later, the garden is full of character and the house is full of life.
Primrose collects antiques and builds wooden machetes when he’s not growing fruit and vegetables, while Cobban ensures roughly 1,500 flowers are planted each summer. She pays special attention to the scent of sweet peas and calla lilies, but hosts more flowers than one could list.
“It’s a lot of work to do every year,” she said. “Alberta doesn’t have long summers like Scotland, but it’s worth it. And now, Mel helps me. I used to do it all on my own, but as you get older, your body slows down whether you want it to or not and he’s a lot younger than me.”
