After graduation in 1951, Murph entered St. Patrick's School of Social Work in Ottawa with fellow classmate Ernie Macdonald. Gone were the carefree days of undergraduate studies, this was the real world. In the spring of ‘52 he graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work and ventured out in to the workforce. He moved to Toronto and with only 15 cents in his pocket - 5 cents for a phone call and 10 cents for the street car - he called up Joyce Jay (SDU co-ed 1945-46) to see if he could come by for a visit. They were married a year later on Saint Valentine's Day,

His first job as a social worker was at the Catholic Children's Aid Society in Toronto where he supervised over 90 delinquent boys. In 1955 he accepted the position of Executive Director of the John Howard Society in London, Ontario. During his sojourn in London he became interested in northern Canada. After reading extensively about life in the North and finally convincing Joyce that she would love long cold winters and shopping by catalogue, he accepted a posting as Regional Superintendent of Welfare and moved with four young children to Yellowknife, NWT

Initially life in the north was a shock - not seeing the sunrise until 10:00 am. only to watch it set four short hours later, staring at the thermometer that first Christmas as it hovered at minus 50 degrees for days on end and drinking powdered milk and canned everything because fi'esh anything was impossible to afford. But the rewards of living in the North soon emerged. World class fishing was at your door step - ten pound Lake Trout each time you dropped your line in the water and some ofthe most breath taking scenery in Canada.

Perhaps the most memorable time in the North was the MacKenzie River Flood of 1963 near Hay River and Fort Simpson. Yellowknife at that time was quite small with a population of 2,500. Going without sleep, Murph coordinated the absorption of 850 flood victims into the community within 48 hours. Mth only the clothes on their backs, the victims nwded the basics - food and lodging. But for the two weeks it would take for the MacKenzie to recede, a few comforts of home would make the transition at little easier. In particular, Murph remembers tracking down some chewing tobacco for some of the elders - mostly women. Overall, it was one of the most exhausting and challenging experiences of his life.

In 1969 the Murphy family, now with five children, moved to Ottawa. Murph worked for Indian Affairs and Northern Development until 1977 and then began a career in Real Estate until he retired in 1992. The Murphy children are all married and living in the Ottawa area. Sheila is studying for her Master's in Theology, Michelle is an Interior Designer, Colleen is a Librarian and Patrick teaches at Algonquin College in Perth. Their eldest son Donnie died in 1978.

In 1993 Murph and Joyce built a cottage on their land on Boughton Bay in St. Georges, P.E.I. They spend their summers there now playing a little Crib, eating fresh lobster - right off the boat, catching up with old friends and watching their nine grandchildren discover the magic of the Island.