Clinton News-Record, 1985-5-8, Page 77"As free as a bird"
By Alan Rivett
The first thing Frank Van Altena of
Clinton remembers when he and his wife
stepped off the ship named the Volendam
on to Canadian soil was the wide open
spaces.
"It ( Canada) was peaceful and quiet
and there was lots off room," he said.
"When you come from a city of over a
million and you come here, It's really
great. You're free as a bird - that's what 1
thought."
Mr. Van Altena, like thousands of other
people from Holland, immigrated to
Canada after the Second World War. He
and his wife Anna Marie left aboard the
old, crowded passenger ship from Rot-
terdam Harbor and, 10 days later, arriv-
ed in Quebec on June 23, 1951 to start a
new life in Canada.
Upon arrival, they took a train to Strat-
ford where their sponsor was waiting to
pick them up. At the time, immigrants
coming to Canada were sponsored for a
year on their farms.
He settled in the Dublin area and soon
found work barbering at the Clinton air -
base (now Vanastra) - a trade he learned
in 1933 after graduating from school in
his home town of Haar Lem, Holland. ,
After five -and -a -half years at the air -
base, he worked in the basement of the
old Cloud Nine Hotel in Clinton for over
vow
li:
HAVE A
GREAT
KLOMPEN FEEST!
We look forward to
continuing our association with -
our many friends in the community,
Pepsi. Canada Dry and 7-Up products
are bottled and distributed in
this area by
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HURON PARK
two years as a barber before settling into
his present shop on Rattenbury St. ap-
propriately named Frank's $arbershop.
After 50 years in the barbering business,
Mr. Van Altena says he will close his
shop in November.
"In October 1 will have been in the
business for 50 years. 1 think that's
enough," he said.
In two cardboard canisters in the cor-
ner of the shop, he keeps a couple of
items from his homeland- A rolled up
map and flag of Holland serve as conver-
sation pieces when talking to his
customers or when one of his friends
comes into the shop for a mid-afternoon
visit.
Mr. Van Altena talks fondly about his
home town of Haar Lem. He says it's one
of the oldest cities in Holland. He points
out the fact that a lot of famous artists,
including Rembrandt and Frans Hals,
were native to the city.
"The city has gone through all the wars
with France,. Spain, the Germans, the
Norwegians as far back as the 1500's. It's
really an old city," he says.
Life, he said, was good in Holland.
Then the Germans came. They occupied
Holland from 1939 until 1945.
`Life was good until the war started,
then the misery came. Everything that
was in the country was taken away by the
Turn lu paw. 19
Page 45
`l r. and Mrs. F rank Van Altana
Congratulations Clinton
on the 5th Annual
Klompen Feest
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