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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-11-14, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013. History and people fascinate me. So when I get an opportunity to combine both of them I am, as they say, “a happy camper”. I was afforded such a treat last week when I had the privilege to sit down with longtime Auburn resident, Ralph Lubbers. Ralph will turn 90 years of age this coming January. For the first 23 years of his life he was lived in the northern part of the Netherlands where he experienced the perils of World War II first-hand. Ralph told me after our interview that I was the first person he had told some of these stories to. His son Andy, who was in the room with us, confirmed this, saying this was the first time he had heard some the events Ralph chronicled for me. So indeed, this was an honour for me to hear and to share with you now. Ralph began by telling me about a particular day. On June 21, 1943 he was told to go the employment officefrom where he would be sent to Hanover, Germany to work in a war factory for the Nazi regime. Ralph didn’t go. Instead he went into hiding and became part of the Dutch underground also known as the resistance. Because of a cash bounty put out for his capture, he was betrayed. He would have been captured but he managed to escape by jumping into a canal and swam away in the icy January waters. For two years he and another friend in the underground hid in the family barn. Only his father and oldest brother knew he was there. His mother and other siblings had no idea. Sometimes Ralph said they had to go out and lie in the fields to remain hidden when the enemy was too close to their farm. “Sometimes the German soldiers seem to be everywhere, Ralph said. He remembers how once their minister visited the family and he ended up staying there for three days because the enemy presence made it unsafe for him go home. The days could be long and monotonous. To pass the time Ralph used his knife to make smoking pipes out of wood. These were soldto get some extra money. They also made mousetraps which was a good idea since there were lots of mice in the barn where they were hiding. Food was brought to them when his father or brother came to feed the horses in the barn. To help feed others in hiding from the enemy, including Jewish people, Ralph said they would go out and break into local cheese factories to get food for them to eat. Ralph recalls how they had secured some German uniforms to use to free some men in the resistance who were being jailed. They knew of a fellow Dutch man who had been hiding his truck from the enemy among some straw bales. If the Germans found the truck they would take it for their own use. Ralph said some of them put on the uniforms and posed as German soldiers, went to the farmer and seized his truck. The farmer, not knowing who they were, was quite upset at losing his vehicle. The men in the underground took the truck, dressed in stolen uniforms, and freed their friends from prison. Afterwards they drove the truck out into a forest and hid it there. Afterthe war, Ralph’s father went to the farmer and told him where he could find his truck which was still in perfect running condition. Not everything ran smoothly, however. One day when his siblings Blyth-area native Mark Nonkes is one of 400 World Vision aid workers stationed in the small country of Laos bracing for the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, which ravaged the Philippines, where it is estimated at least 10,000 people are dead as a result of the storm. Nonkes, a former employee of both The Citizen and The Goderich Signal Star, was interviewed by several news outlets over the weekend in relation to the tragedy, including the Toronto Sun and the CBC News Network. In the Toronto Sun story, Nonkes says that over the weekend he had been in constant communication with his World Vision colleagues in Vietnam, where the storm was scheduled to hit next. “I’m quite familiar with the evacuations they’ve been doing, how they’ve seen people pull out disaster plans they’ve developed,” Nonkes was quoted as saying. He told the newspaper that while the storm was expected to come with winds up to 150 kilometres an hour by the time it reached Laos, it will have lost some of its power. A rural native himself, the communications co-ordinator told the Toronto Sun that he feared that farmers, the poor and children would be hit the hardest by the storm. “What I’m worried about is people who live in communities that are rural. We always know that poor people get hit the hardest when it comes to disasters because it is harder for them to bounce back,” he said to the newspaper. Nonkes in Laos for aid work Lubbers tells story of escape for first time Quite the tale Ralph Lubbers, who will turn 90 in January, opened up to The Citizen’s Auburn correspondent Mark Royall, telling him all about growing up in The Netherlands during World War II and his amazing tales of escape and survival that led him to Canada. Here, he shows off a wooden pipe he made, similar to those he made in his youth for extra money. (Mark Royall photo) Ted Doherty Director of Education Registration packages are now Registration packages are now available for pick up at your local available for pick up at your local school. Call your local school to school. Call your local school to make an appointment.make an appointment. Friday Morning, November 15 Clinton Public School - Call 519-482-9424 Monday Morning, November 18 Hullett Central Public School - Call 519-523-4201 Tuesday Morning, November 19 Maitland River Elementary - Call 519-357-3551 Thursday Morning, November 21 Brookside Public School - Call 519-529-7900 Monday Morning, November 25 Howick CPS - Call 519-335-3566 Tuesday Morning, November 26 North Woods Elementary - Call 519-887-6601 i AM education Kindergarten Registration Avon Maitland Schools Colleen Schenk Chair Children 3 years old by December 31, 2013 are eligible for JK in September 2014 Children 4 years old by December 31, 2013, are eligible for SK in September 2014 yourschools.cayourschools.ca www.hc-cs.ca Stolen Copper Wire McKILLOP MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY Box 819, 91 Main Street S., Seaforth, Ontario N0K 1W0 Office: 519-527-0400 • 1-800-463-9204 www.mckillopinsurance.com Brought to you by: Huron County OPP officers are investigating a theft of copper wire from a transmission tower site located on Summerhill Road in Huron East. Those responsible stole exposed copper grounding wire from the site. In total, two pieces that measure 1 foot in length and four sections that measure 7' in length were stolen. The value to repair the damage and to replace the stolen wire is estimated at $1200 to $1500. Over the last few weeks several cell phone tower sites in Huron County have been targeted. If you have any information regarding this crime or any other crime, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at www.hc-cs.ca. You could earn a cash reward of up to $2000, you will never have to reveal your identity or testify in court. And remember, Crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does! Wash & Fold Services Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687 NEWS FROM AUBURN By Mark Royall Call 519-441-2223 PEOPLE AROUND AUBURN Continued on page 18