Elizabeth O'Brien is one of almost 30,000 Newfoundland fishery workers who lost their jobs when the northern cod fishery shut down in 1992. The federal government set up emergency financial aid and retraining programs. The programs were supposed to help long-time fishery workers through the crisis of losing their jobs, perhaps forever.

Elizabeth had worked at the small inshore plant in her town for 12 years. But there were so few fish the last two years that she didn't qualify for the federal help. She was one of several thousand fishery workers who were turned down.

Elizabeth's life had never been very easy. But the cod moratorium pushed her family into "a dark hole." Elizabeth wondered if she would ever be able to dig herself out. The details of Elizabeth's life are unique. At the same time, her story is the story of many lives in Newfoundland. Her problems are shared by many people.

Elizabeth is 41 years old. Her hands are large and red from her years at the fishplant. If pressed, Elizabeth will talk about her life. She tells her story quietly. She doesn't want any pity.

Elizabeth grew up on what she calls the bad side of town. She was the oldest of three children. Her father worked at odd jobs. Her mother was often sick. Elizabeth did a lot of the work around the house. She remembers ironing her father's shirts. She tried to make the creases straight and firm.

Elizabeth quit school in grade seven. She took a job in a St. John's restaurant. She gave most of her wages to her mother to help buy food.

Joe grew up in a small outport close to St. John's. His father fished for a living. There were 13 children in the family and they were very poor. Joe remembers lying on his bed and looking at the sky through the slats in the roof. He remembers watching snowflakes flutter down from the ceiling onto the kitchen table. Their house always needed repairs. Joe quit school in grade six. He worked around the house. He tried to help his mother. Joe remembers dragging a slide loaded with firewood through the trees.

Elizabeth and Joe met when they were only 17. They met at a dance and fell in love. They wanted to marry. They dreamed of having a small house of their own and of raising a family. Their parents laughed at their plans. "You'll never make anything of yourselves," Elizabeth remembers her father saying. "You'll be sorry you ever met."

Elizabeth and Joe married anyway. They promised they would always love each other. They were determined to make something of themselves. Elizabeth worked as a waitress. Joe drove a taxi cab. They rented a tiny apartment in St. John's. They walked or rode their bikes everywhere. They didn't own a television or a radio. They stayed in at night and saved their money.