Clinton News-Record, 1985-5-8, Page 53Stories of success and despair...
From page 26
licence and word spread throughout the
Dutch communities that Mr. Buruma
knew where there were good farms for
sale. lie was
in
many Duch immigrants instrumental to Goderich
Towns'p.
The Buruana family, by this time in-
creased by two, moved back to Goderich
Township in 1960 to a farm west of Clin-
ton on Highway 8, where they still live to-
day. The windmill beside the pond in the
yard speaks to passers-by of their Dutch
heritage.
The litre of Canada
The Dutch immigration to Canada
peaked from 1950-1955.
In 1949 the former Dutch East Indies
gained their independence. Thousands
who had been employed in the colony
returned to the Netherlands seeking
employment. One such man was Jack
Brand.
He had been a soldier in Indonesia, and
coming back to Holland could see no
future there. Adventure and new
horizons beckoned so in 1951 he flew to
Canada. He had a sponsor from Dublin,
but alas no sponsor showed up. Another
Canadian was kind enough to take Mr.
Brand with him and offered him a meal.
Clinton's Full -Service
RADIATOR SHOP
Welcomes you to
KLOMPEN FEEST
0
•rzecores for all makes of
CARS -TRUCKS -TRACTORS
*Heater Recores•Roding
*Transmission Coolers
• We repair Air Conditioning
Condensers and Oil Coders
*New and Used Air Conditioning
Condensers
*Pick-up and Delivery
Service
Proprietor
Garry
Elliott
77 Albert St.
(Across from McKerlie Mil6enl
482.1770 CLINTON
Mr. Brand made a sign of the cross
before eating, so his host called the local
priest who found work for Mr. Brand
with a Catholic farmer near Dublin.
In 1952 Goff Brand got emigration
fever and followed his brother to Canada.
The older Brands, afraid they would lose
all their sons to lure of Canada - and they
had nine of them, plus two daughters -
decided to move to Canada with the
whole family. In 1953 they settled on a
farm in Goderich Township.
Pegg, 27
Goderich to the Van Ninhuys' residence
cost her 50 cents a week and she spent the
weekends with these good friends.
At the end of the year she had enough
money to buy a new washing macroue
fridge, stove and sewing machine.
rue
Dutch thriftiness!
Wedding bells
Corrie Goossens had met Cees Brand
at an English course sponsored by a local
immigration society. After he left for
Canada, she thought about immigrating
too. Her father wanted Cees to come
back to Holland, marry her and then
together they could go to Canada. But,
Corrie said, "No. I don't know either
Cees or Canada very well and I want to
go alone and make up my mind."
In 1955 she travelled to Canada. Arriv-
ing in Goderich Township she
lived
with
the Van Ninhuys family, good friends
and neighbors of the Brands. Within
three weeks she found a housekeeping
job in Goderich which paid $16 a week
plus room and board. Bus fare from
1
In 1956 Cees and Corrie were married
and two years later they bought a farm in
Goderich Township. Today there are six
of the nine Brand brothers farming in
Goderich Township.
There are many more stories which
could be told, of success and despair; of
hard work and fun times. The Dutch did
not necessarily migrate in groups, but
they settled in groups. A common
language, common beliefs and a social
life centered around the church, made
those first years bearable.
The Dutch have shown by their hard
work and care of the land and buildings
that they are competent farmers. The
future for them was also made better
because of the good friends they found in
Goderich Township, the place they now
call home. - (reprinted with permission
from The Goderich Township History,
Vol. 1: 1984)
Have fun at
the Klompen Feest!
And remembero e
Nobody does it better!
than Cyanamid
We supply
FERTILIZERS -Bagged and Bulk
-Liquid Starters
-28%
-Anhydrous
HERBICIDES
and the EQUIPMENT to apply all of these
i
For 1985 we ore introducing our
CROP CONSULTING PROGRAM
Fertilizers. Hybrids and weed control recommendations for your
farm are made based on soil tests and the latest
Ontario research.
Program supervised by experienced graduates
from University of Guelph.
CYANAMID
FARM SUPPLY CENTRE
"Serving the mon whose business is agriculture"
R.R. 4 CLINTON 482-3423