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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-02-06, Page 7As time went by The family of Bernard and Hanna TenPas arrived in Canada 50 years ago Feb. 7. Son Hank, in back, at 15 well remem- bers the rough passage, but praises the country that became home. (courtesy photo) IVES INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. Visit us at: WWW.IVESINSURANCE.COM "All Classes of Insurance" DOUG GOUGH, Broker 184 Dinsley St. W., Blyth Tel.: (519) 523-9655 Fax: (519) 523-9793 At the Bainton Gallery, Memorial Hall, Blyth Friday, February 15th, 2002 8:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. 0o4LAAJAikimAic_*wAict n Invitation For constituents to meet Helen Johns, M.P.P. Huron-Bruce For coffee and conversation on issues of importance to you "Delegations are asked to book an appointment at the constituency office at (519) 524-2979 r‘k Ot F4V00 0, IV WO PLUS TAXES INCLUDES.. • New filter, installed • Up to 51. 10W30 motor oil • Chassis lube (if applicable) • Comprehensive 55 pt. check over with report card CALL FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT' 346 Huron Rd, Goderich 524-9381 • 1-800-338-1134 —most makes & models— THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2002. PAGE 7. Family celebrates 50 years in Canada By David Blaney Citizen staff For most of us the idea of leaving home means going to college or moving to another town in Ontario. For Bernard and Hanna TenPas it meant packing up a family of six children and sailing 3,000 miles to a country where they didn't speak the language. Feb. 7 will mark the 50th anniver- sary of that 1952 trip for the TenPas family of Brussels. On that date the family arrived in New York harbour after a stormy trip from Holland. They had left the port of Rotterdam seven days before on the passenger ship Nieuw Amsterdam. Hank TenPas at 15 was the oldest child and he has a clear memory of the rough passage and of both he and his mother being seasick for the whole crossing. He described the boat trip with a wry smile as, "some- thing else." Once in New York the family of eight boarded a train for Toronto and at Union Station changed trains for Mount Forest where they were to be met by Bernard's brother John. The Mount Forest destination had been chosen because the elder TenPas was supposed to have had a job at a threshing machine manufac- turer there. Unfortunately the job was not available when the family arrived. John took the family back to his farm on the Walton Road, west of Monkton. John had purchased the farm after emigrating to Canada four years previously. After three anxious weeks Bernard responded to an ad on CKNX radio and was hired as a carpenter at McDonald Lumber in Brussels. Duncan McDonald, the owner, arranged for the family to rent a house a mile east of town, for $10 a month. The elder TenPas was working 54 hours a week for $1 an hour. But the first months rent included five cords of wood, Eldon and Kate Wilson, the neighbours across the road, provided free milk, and bread was 10 cents a loaf at Wilfred Willes' bakery in Brussels. Hank said that the family felt they had never had it so good. Despite of the reaction of the father and children, Hank remem- bers his mother being intensely homesick for the first year. The lan- guage barrier and stress of getting established were hard to overcome at first. One can imagine the shock of leaving Holland for Huron County's snow banks in February. Hank remembers the war years in Holland.. He says they were lucky and had enough to eat, but at times their home in Winterswik was any- thing but as peaceful as the new home in Canada. Living as they did in eastern Holland, about two miles from the German border, they were on the flight path of many of the British and American bombing raids. On raid nights he can vividly remember the searchlights in the night sky. The whole family would get up at about 11 p.m. to walk down the street to a shelter. At about 1 a.m. the family would return home to bed. In Hank's words, "ft became part of the routine." Life in Canada soon settled into a much more peaceful routine. The children went to a one-room school taught by Doreen Raymond. Soon Bernard purchased his first car, a 1936 Oldsmobile from Casey McCutcheon, after spending about five minutes being tested for his license in Wingham. By 1956 Bernard started his own carpentry business in the old Riverside Motors Building, which formerly occupied the site of the cur- rent Brussels Medical building. Shortly thereafter -Hanna's dream was fulfilled when they were able to buy a farm from Bill King Sr. The two older boys worked with their father in the carpentry business and all the children were expected to do farm chores. Bernard Sr. died in 1971 after 19 years of hard work to establish his Our best wishes for continued progress in good health go to Murray Crawford, who happily returned home from hospital. Even with the bad driving weather which occasioned the cancelling of the euchre party at the Cranbrook Hall last Friday, the dart evenings went on and were well attended. Winners were: high men's, 145, John Gillis; high ladies', 83, Gail Speiran; ladies' most starts, Annette, five; ladreT most finishes, Karen, three; most starts men, tied at five, Dave Bowles and Brad Speiran; most finishes, men, tied at three, Ernie Lewington and Brad Speiran. The Cranbrook Community Centre annual meeting will be scheduled in March this year. family in a new land. The farm was sold shortly thereafter as the children had begun to establish their own lives. The sisters and Ben were working. Hank operated the carpentry busi- ness and Albert had gone from sell- ing floor coverings at McDonald Lumber to setting up his own busi- ness in Listowel. All six children married and there are now numerous children and grandchildren. The family has not moved far from its new, Canadian, roots. Albert passed away in 1987 but the oldest and youngest (Hank and Ben) still live in Brussels and Hanna now lives in Mitchell. Teresa, Wilma and Diane are located close by in Listowel, Guelph and London. The family still has ties of friend- ship and family with Holland but their life is firmly rooted in Canada. Hank describes this country as a land of milk and honey. On behalf of his whole family he says, "Thank you Canada for 50 years of freedom and evei"ything else anyone could ask for." OPP asks for public assistance Continued from page 1 the windows and tightly shut. "This is done to prevent outside light from interrupting the artificial light cycle, as well as keeping the interior light in," Condensation on windows results because humidity of a grow room is about 65 per cent, with temperatures ranging from 80 to 95°F. The odour of growing marijuana, he said, is a unique smell of rotting cabbage or skunk-like, mixed with a sweet vegetative smell. Mothballs, chlorine, manure, soap and air fresh- ener are frequently used to mask the smell. Some of the electrical components in an indoor operation create hum- ming sounds, similar to a trans- former on a hydro pole. These Shropshall said can be heard from a neighbouring property. Other sounds may include fans running for long periods of time and trickling water for days. High intensity 1,000 watt lamps are normally used. These are the same as the ones used at outdoor public swimming pools, in school gyms, outdoor football and baseball parks. Neighbourhood residences experi- ence unexplained power surges or a decrease of power which dims lights and slows down appliance use with the return of normal flow about 12 hours later. Growers sometimes leave equip- ment laying around the yard, such as nutrient containers, pots, wiring, soil, root balls, aluminum shrouds 01 PVC piping. There is usually no garbage on garbage day. Beware of dogs signs are used to deter trespassers. Almost all marijuana growers use rental property so that they do not have to alter their own property to accommodate a growing operation. High humidity levels in indoor growing operations also cause a lot of damage. There may be unusual visitor behaviour when compared to the average homes in the area. Shropshall cautions members of the general public to not put them- selves in any compromising position while obtaining information about grow operations or criminal activity. Anyone having information is asked to call the OPP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. (TIPS).