HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-05-11, Page 13THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1988. PAGE 13.
Relatives from Holland and California Journeyed to Blyth Saturday to
help celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Johannes and Antje
Verburg.
Verburgs celebrate
50 years of marriage
Friends and relatives from as far
away as Holland and California
helped Johannes and Antje Ver
burg celebrate their 50th wedding
anniversary at a gathering at the
Blyth and District Community
Centre.
On May 4, 1938 Johannes
Verburg and Antje DeJoode were
united in marriage in a small
village of Moordrecht, Holland. Jo
and Antje lived in Zevenhuizen,
Holland for 11 years where Jo
worked as a farmhand. Antje spent
her time as a mother and wife
looking after five small children.
These times were hard for the
Verburg family since the war was
going on in Holland during this
time. Jo realized that there was no
opportunity in Holland to own his
own farm so he packed his family
off to Canada.
They arrived in Quebec in the
spring of 1949, they took the train
through some of the roughest rocky
areas of Quebec and Jo wondered
why he was here, the land could not
be farmed here. The first few days
were very discouraging until they
gotto southwestern Ontario, arriv
ing in Seaforth. They discovered
the farmland to be very good.
Russel Coleman of Seaforth was Jo
and Antje’s sponsors. Russel met
the family at the train station and
took them to his second farm house
where the Coleman’s had provided
the family with all the essentials:
beds, table, chairs, food and etc. on
the day that they arrived. They
couldn’t communicate very well so
the Colemans brought the immi
grant family into the house and left
them to fend for themselves. The
Verburg family thought that this
was their sponsor’s home and they
sat on the kitchen chairs for several
hours with their coats waiting to be
taken to their home. This incident
still causes the family to laugh
about after all these years.
Jo worked on the farm of
Colemans, and then he worked at
the flour mill in Seaforth. Later
the family rented a home from
Howard Johns and Jo worked at the
Air Base in Clinton (now Vana-
stra).
In the spring of 1954 the Verburg
family was able to purchase their
own farm on the 13th of Hullett
where their son Koos lives now. Jo
and his sons started doing all the
farmworkwithhorses. Overthe
years the children grew and two
more farms were purchased and
are operated by sons Koos and
Tony and their families. Their
daughter Janie also lives across the
road from them.
In 1983 Jo and Antje retired in
their new house built right in the
centre of their children. Their
family is a very close knit family.
Twodaughters don’t live in Hullett
but they are not far away: Peta, in
Hensall, Wilma in Goderich and
their youngest and only Canadian
born son John lives on the 11th of
Hullett.
The Verburgs became Canadian
citizens as soon as they could since
they knew that Canada was now
their homeland. Jo and Antje have
been members of the Blyth
Christian Reformed Church
ever since it was established 26
years ago. Before that they went to
Clinton Christian Reformed
Church. Jo and Antje attribute all
their success in enduring some of
the hardships and all their success
of the blessing of immigrating and
raising their family and farming to
their Heavenly Father in Heaven
who is their constant comfort and
guide as they have served their
Lord so far in their lives together.
Last week 11 relatives from
Holland and five relatives from
Calfornia came to help Jo and Antje
celebrate their golden anniver
sary. Jo came from a family of 17
and Antje from a family of 14.
OPP gets radar
on motorcydes
In what may be a North
American first, the Ontario Pro
vincial Police had equipped the
Force’s motorcylces with the so
phisticated Moving Digital Radar
(MDR-1) units. The MDR-1 is the
same unit used in provincial
highway cruisers.
The MDR-1 can be used to
record the speed of another vehicle
regardless of whether the vehicle is
approaching, departing or parallel
to a motorcycle. It has a range of
approximately one and a half
kilometers and can be programm
ed to ignore slow moving trucks
and concentrate only on traffice
moving at higher speeds. It can
also record a violator’s speed
before a radar detector (illegal in
Ontario) can sound a warning.
Iiondesboro
Compiled by June Fothergill Phone 523-4360
Burns UCW holds
Mother's Day meeting
Burns U.C.W. meeting was held
on May 4 at the home of Ramona
Jamieson with 15 members pre
sent . Gay Sal verda was in charge of
the meeting and opened with a
poem, “God will be with you’’.
Hymn 45 was sung. Ida Salverda
hadthe scripture. Gladys had a
poem, “What is my Mother’’.
Ramona read a pbem, “Are you an
active member?’’. Renee had a
reading, “Whatis a Mother?’’.
The poem, “Spring” was given by
Margaret Taylor. Hymn 493 was
sung to end the devotional part.
Renee took over the business
part and welcomed all members.
Local people attend
baptism services
Dora Shobbrook attended the
baptism of her great-grandson
Brett Allan Blake at Ontario Street
United Church and spent the rest of
the day with her daughter Thelma
Ellerby of Clinton. Muriel Millson
and grandson William visited on
Tuesday and Wednesday with
their mother.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Good and
Mr. and Mrs. John Lyons, Sara,
Tim and Michael attended baptis
mal service on Sunday at First St.
Andrews United Church in London
when their grandson and nephew
Scott James Robert Logan was
baptized.
Seniors Day Centre news
BY PAM WILLIAMS
As the song says “though April
showers may come your way, They
bring the flowers that bloom in
May.’’
The Day Centre for the Home
bound in Wingham has special
programs blooming for the entire
month of May.
Our social and recreational
programs continue with a special
guest speaker, Muriel Coultes of
Belgrave, who has recently return
ed from a trip to Ethiopia. Mrs.
Coultes will help us with some arm
chair travelling to a nation we are
eager to hear more about.
Day Centre staff will be attend
ing an annual conference of three
associations. The Older Adult
Centres Association of Ontario’
Meals-on-Wheels Assocation and
the new Ontario Home Support
Association. The joint conference
willbe held inOttawafrom May 16-
19. Some of the informative
workshops we will be attending are
Advocacy of Behalf of the Elderly,
Care for the Caregivers, 55 Alive -
Safe Driving for Older Adults,
Fundraising, Liability Insurance,
Rural Transportation and many
other interesting sessions.
A special movie afternoon will be
held at the centre on Thursday,
May 19 with popcorn and all the
trimmings. The feature film will be
“Blue Skies’ ’ starring Bing Crosby
and Fred Astaire.
Later in the month we will have
special activities to help celebrate
“National Fitness Week”. Once
again we’ll try our annual trek to
Roll call was answered by a Bible
verse. A card was signed for Jean
Leiper and Gay is to take a plant to
her. It was moved by Beth that $50
be given to Jane Hoggart to help
purchase things needed for the
Messengers. It was moved by
Josephine, seconded by Jean
Scott, that $100 be donated to the
Sunshine Club. Collection was
taken, then the money from the
copper contest was counted with
Beryl’steam bringing in more than
Ramona’s. Plans were discussed
as to where the members would
have their dinner.
Congratulations to Bev and
Helen Wallace on the birth of their
granddaughter Amanda Helen
Margaret, born in Stratford Gen
eral Hospital April 15, to Debbie
and Wally DeWolfe.
Congratulations to Rob and
Traci Radford on the birth of their
sonTerry Andrew on April 26 at
Clinton Public Hospital.
The May Institute meeting will
be held at Londesboro Hall on
Wednesday evening, May 11 at 8
p.m. Rev. Snihur will demonstrate
his hobby of painting on stained
glass. Everyone is welcome.
the Moon (yes that’s right). Older
adults will try to walk, hop or move
and accumulte milage to equal the
distance from the earth to the
moon. A special mystery bus trip is
planned in May.
The Foot Clinics, provided by
Community Nursing Services con
tinue with clinics on May 11 and 26.
Please call the centre at 357-1445
for an appointment.
Often fan Sftniny
Dave's Car Oiling
Call for open hours
Drummond St. E.(, Blyth -- 523-4343
Baptism held at
United Church
Rev. Dave and Caron Snihur
have returned home after a
two-week trip to England and
Scotland.
On Mother’s Day the greeter at
Londesboro United Church was
Ken Hunking. Ushers were Kara
Lee Potter, Denise Hulley, Joanne
Wilts, and Shannon Duizer. Flow
ers in the church were in memory of
Amy Bosman. Colin Swan will be
ordained next Sunday, May 15 at 7
p.m. at Metropolitan United
Church, London. The Goodwill
truck will arrive on Wednesday
morning at the Church. Huronview
Fellowship is on Wednesday at
1:15 p.m.
The ladies’ choir sang two
anthems. Two babies were baptiz
ed: Trent Johnson, son of Earl and
Marilyn, and Adam Maize, son of
Greg and Roxy. During the
children’s time the children pre
sented all the mothers with flowers
they had made for them. The
sermon topic was “Treasure in
pots of clay.”
Love
Our
You’ll
Used
Car
Deals
'88TEMPO-4door, aut., air, p.s.,
p.b., electric safety belts, A
Beauty.
'87SABLE -4door, air, p.s., p.b.,
stereo cassette.
'85 OLDS CUTLASS - Sierra
stationwagon, loaded.
'85 OLDS REGENCY Brougham,
2 to choose from, loaded.
'85 PARK AVENUE -4 door, 2
tone, loaded.
-Warranty with all vehicles
-Service work by a class 'A'
mechanic for your summer
pleasure.
-Remember us for all of your
general maintenance,
alignments, wheel balance,
broken lights, etc.
BRUSSELS AUTO
SALES & SERVICE
Formerly Carl's Auto Body
Brussels 887-9269
Phone John Nixon
887-9417
agent for
WEST WAWANOSH MUTUAL INS. CO.
Farm, Residential, Auto,
Commercial & Liability
"When you become a policy holder,
you become a share holder"
Head office - Dungannon
The wingham Sales Arena
“EVERYTHING UNDER ONE ROOF’
INEW & USED GUNS)npFN MON.-SAT. 9-6
U FRI. NITES TIL 9 357-1730
BULK
Baking Goods
Spices, Bulk
Candy, Food
& Grocery Items
CLOTHING
&
FOOTWEAR
For The
Whole Family