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Deciding to Leave – Saying Goodbye “On May 1, 1948 my wife and I and our 11- mouth old daughter arrived in Quebec City, Canada. We decided to leave our homeland of the Netherlands for a better life in Canada. Work was hard to fine at that time but we managed to save money to pay for the trip. …
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“Souvenir sailor dolls/puppets were sold in the ship’s store and I wanted one. When I asked for one, mom told me she had no money for souvenirs. I knew I couldn’t argue with her so I threw a tantrum, ran back to the cabin and hid in the closet to show her a thing or two. When I slammed the closet …
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"I was just a toddler of about 2 years of age when we landed in Halifax. My parents long ago told me the story that when the ship landed in Halifax, I was fast asleep in my room (deck). Well, this ship sounded a foghorn and all went out on deck to see Canada. Everyone was so excited, they forgot I …
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All Aboard - On The Train “In this special train for immigrants, the passengers sat, ate, and often slept on wooden benches. At regular intervals along the way the train would stop, allowing the crew to take on coal and water for the steam engine, as well as huge blocks of ice which, when they …
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“Two days later I, my younger brother and sister was sent of to a small country school. Not speaking one work of English, we arrived with lunch pail in hand, children gathering around us , staring. We where the first of immigrants to arrive at this school. But as soon as my Dad found out that I …
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Sport In the winter, the Dutch love to cheer on their favourite speed skaters. It is not uncommon to see Dutch people in the northern parts of the Netherlands skating along the canals. Soccer is also another tremendously popular sport in the Netherlands. Traditional Dress The Netherlands does not …
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Books/Articles Aberson, Jan L. From the Prairies With Hope . Canadian Plains Research Centre University of Regina, Regina, 1998. Bowen, Kurt. “Immigration and the Growth of the Dutch Community. The Postwar Wave and Its Predecessors.” (unpublished manuscript). Curtis, Herb. The Scholten Story . …
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This trunk is made possible by generous funding from Adrianus (Andy) Faas. The Faas family immigrated to Canada through Pier 21 on September 29 after a seven day journey from Rotterdam on the ship the Groote Beer (The Big Bear). Adrianus (now Andrew), his brothers Johannus (Joe), Gerardus (John), …
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Families April 9, 1954 – Groote Beer I was educated in The Netherlands (University Utrecht BSc 1951, geology and geophysics). There was no particular reason for me to leave the Netherlands. I had a good position at the National Research institute, was (am) married with one small daughter. However, …
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Families February 22, 1951 – Volendam Immigration is not something you get just up and do, you talk about it, think about it and talk about it again, you go to all kinds of bureaus for information. When it gets to be pretty serious you start praying a lot about it. The time comes that you only pray …