Ole Didrik Falkeisen

The trip from Rotterdam took seven days and I arrived in Halifax full of hope and the expectation of travelling to Alberta to meet my sponsor family and begin a new life in Canada. Holland was war-torn and held no future for a young man at that time.

At Pier 21, I was met by Immigration Officials and after clearing the necessary paperwork, I received my landed immigrant stamp and boarded a train for Lethbridge, Alberta. My first recollection of a good Canadian meal came in the form of Kelloggs Corn Flakes served in a mini-box. Never having seen this before, I wondered if everyone in Canada ate out of little one-meal boxes.

Upon arriving in Lethbridge, my sponsor family failed to show up to collect me; therefore, I was placed overnight on a farm run by the Catholic Brothers. The next day I was placed with a rancher in Hartleyville, Alberta. There I learned what a cold Canadian winter was really like; rounding up cattle in sub-zero temperatures. After two years, I moved East with other family members who had subsequently joined me in Canada.

Back in Halifax, I became a licensed mechanic and later joined the RCAF during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I married my wife Doris Mader in Halifax and after serving 5 years with the RCAF, we moved with our young family, three daughters and a son, to Barrie, Ontario. There I joined the Barrie Police Department and served as a Police Officer until my retirement in 1996.

This is a synopsis of my life in Canada and my fond memories of arriving in Halifax. I have returned to Halifax at every opportunity and still enjoy that beautiful city with its lovely Harbour and warm, wonderful people.