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The Times Advocate, 2008-11-12, Page 22 Times -Advocate Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Speakers provide miltary thoughts at Riverview By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER Three perspectives on war were offered Nov 6 at Riverview Estates in Exeter as South Huron District High School (SHDHS) student Hillary Duenk, author Jim Rutledge and Ed Hoekstra, who grew up in Holland dur- ing the Second World War, spoke during Remembrance Day services at the facility. After a ceremony by members of the Exeter Legion, Duenk spoke about her experiences as part of an SHDHS trip to Europe in 2007 to tour Canadian battlefields. Duenk said while the wars Canada fought in the 20th cen- tury happened long before she was born, it is essential to remember. She said the group toured Buckingham Palace as well as the Imperial War Museum in London and the D -Day Mu- seum in Portsmouth before crossing the English Channel to Normandy where Canadians soldiers landed on Juno Beach June 6, 1944. Duenk said it was a beautiful day as the SHDHS group toured the beach, which she compared to the beach in Grand Bend, except for the concrete bunkers. They also toured several war cemeteries, where the stu- dents and teachers were able to view the gravestones of rela- tives killed during the First and Second World Wars. They also visited the Etaples Military Cemetery and Duenk said when the almost 11,000 graves came into view, the bus fell silent. Other high points of the trip, said Duenk, were seeing the nightly playing of the Last Post in Ypres, Belgium, with all traffic coming to a halt and visiting Dieppe, that, with its high cliffs and rocky beach doomed the Canadian attack of Aug. 19, 1942 to failure and left almost 1,000 Canadians dead. On April 9, 2007, the SHDHS group attended the rededica- tion of the Vimy Memorial, which had been closed for sev- eral years for restoration work. Duenk noted the 98 Canadians who have been killed serv- ing in Afghanistan, and said former SHDHS student Eamon 0 Rourke is now serving there with the Canadian army. Author He looked the same but what was inside had changed, said Rutledge, who is in the final stages of putting his book together on servicemen of Huron County who were killed in the Second World War. Rutledge said The Men of Huron will be released next spring and that it began with an interest in his father who served in Bomber Command during the Second World War. Rutledge said his father didn t talk about his experiences and died when his son was 17 years old. Rutledge said he wanted to know why his father had changed and decided to find out by researching his experiences from enlistment to coming home. During his research, Rutledge said he met a veteran in London, England, who had lived on a street with 11 boys who had grown up together, all of whom enlisted and only four of whom came home. I thank them every day. said Rutledge of Canada s veterans. Where would we be if Germany and Japan had won? In 2005, Goderich held a celebration to mark the Year of the Veteran, in which the town of 7,500 swelled to 40,000, which was the most successful and largest in Canada, said Rutledge. Following the celebration, Rutledge said he went to the Goderich Library and asked for a book on Huron County servicemen killed in action and was told what book? That bothered me, said Rutledge, who decided in No- vember 2005 to write the book. Rutledge said he has gone around Huron County and taken pictures of every cenotaph. It s astounding where they were, said Rutledge of the locations of Canada s ser- vice people during the war. The book will contain photos of as many of the 200 men as possible as well as a story on each. Rutledge described it as an amazing journey and that he has spoken to a ma- jority of the families, who have been able to provide him with a little bit of insight into each man. Rutledge said during the work, he received almost 1,000 books from the Goderich Library on interlibrary loan as well as sponsorship by the Bayfield Historical Society, which allowed him to receive a $15,000 grant from the Tril- lium Foundation. I know more about them (the service men) than their fam- ilies do said Rutledge, who has also examined files at the National Archives in Ottawa. We had to be professional, caring and thoughtful about the families, said Rutledge, who added that the response has been excellent. The interest is there. The families want something. It s my way of thanking the veterans. Living through it It s not what I went through, it s about the veterans, said Hoekstra, who grew up in Holland while it was under Ger- man occupation during the war. Hoekstra was five years old in May 1940 when the first German soldiers came up his street. While he said he was too young to understand what was happening, I saw the fear in my mother and aunt s eyes. Hoekstra lived on a small island off the coast of Holland called Grey Monk s Island, which saw the Germans build heavy fortifications on it as well as guns and searchlights to defend against Allied bombers which gathered offshore before crossing over the island on their way inland. Hoekstra described July 28, 1943, which he said was a beautiful day, one that feels wonderful to be alive. It was his mother s birthday and Hoekstra, along with his sister and their father went into town to look for a birthday pres- ent. While his father talked with a shopkeeper, Hoekstra said he was asked by a girl if he and he sister could come to the History speakers Riverview Estates in Exeter held its Remembrance Day ceremonies Nov. 6 with from left, author Jim Rutledge, South Huron District High School student Hiillary Duenk and Ed Hoekstra, who grew up in Holland during the Second World War, speaking on their thoughts about Canadas wartime his- tory. (photo/Pat Bolen) hotel she was staying at and play house. Hoekstra said his mother refused, saying I d rather you didn t, I want you home. I thought that was mean, said Hoekstra, who settled down in his front yard to read a book. He said he soon heard a drone in the distance that swelled, until the sky was full of bombers, with smaller planes at- tacking them. As a small boy, Hoekstra said, I thought it was kind of neat. With explosions going off in the village, Hoekstra and his brother ran for the cellar but before they made it an ex- plosion knocked them down. Dishes were down, glass was flying and Mom was screaming. I knew something bad had happened, but I didn t know what. After the raid was over, Hoekstra said the formerly sunny skies were filled with smoke. Although his family was Ok, seven people had been killed in the village while the spot where Hoekstra s father had talked to the shopkeeper, was a crater. A bomb had landed in front of the hotel where the girl was staying who had asked Hoekstra to play house, leaving al- most nothing left. At Hoekstra s home, there was also noth- ing left of the chair where he had been sitting, while the book he had been reading had a piece of glass right through it. My story is not unique said Hoekstra. I 11 never get over it and I don t want to. I m a veteran of war, not a war veteran. The Bargain! Shop officially opens Exeter location By Ben Forrest TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER Where there is a promise of bargains, there is of- ten an abundance of shoppers. This was the case Friday at the grand opening of a new Exeter retail outlet, The Bargain Shop (TBS). Located at 193 Main St., the Exeter TBS is one of 64 former SAAN locations being converted into TBS stores. Last week 27 new TBS loca- tions were opened across Can- ada, with more on the way. The addition of the former SAAN locations brings the total of TBS stores from 190 to over 250. The decision to expand, ac- cording to TBS Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jim Caldwell, was centred on bringing brand-name products at lower prices to Cana- dian small towns. We feel we can serve their ev- eryday needs for home, clothing and food, he said. He said there are items in the Exeter location selling for 30 to 70 per cent less than would be found in many specialty and de- partment stores. He added the belief that the presence of a TBS in Exeter will be a boon to other local busi- nesses. We believe that this will bring many customers to the commu- nity, and when they come to the community they shop more than just The Bargain Shop, he said. They stop at the restaurants, they visit the grocery stores, and so it s good for the community. South Huron Mayor Ken Oke, who was on hand for Friday s grand opening, spoke positively of the conversion of the former SAAN building. Every time there s a [busi- ness] dosing, I feel that there s an opportunity for something even better to come, he said. Sometimes I m disappointed, but with this store I m not disap- pointed. Something better has come. I think the people of South Huron and the Exeter area will really enjoy this store. Like Caldwell, Oke believes TBS will help the local economy, adding that it may encourage residents to shop locally. I think this store is going to bring people from outside the area into the Exeter area, he said. It s going to be good for all the merchants in town here. I think we really have to buy local and we have to support our local people. This store just gives us another reason to stay at home and shop at home. Store manager Peter Antaya noted in an interview the store had held a soft opening for two days before the official open- ing, allowing staff to train while customers perused the shop. The response was good, he said, adding it was encouraging to see roughly 80 people come through the doors in the first few minutes of Friday s grand opening. He noted a number of new counters were added to the store and there are fewer fashion items than when the location was a SAAN outlet. There has been an increase in items like food, toys, kitchen items, health and beauty prod- ucts, however. Those are areas that we really didn t carry that much before, he said. Antaya said the goal of the Ex- eter TBS is to offer the best ser- vice, the best prices, and friendly smiles every day. Bargain chop Exeter Mayor Ken Oke (centre) cuts a official opening of The Bargain! Shop (TBS) s Exeter location last week. Shown holding the ribbon are TBS Chief Operating Officer Jim Caldwell (left) and store manager Peter Antaya. (Photo/Ben Forrest) ribbon at the