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Friends |
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German |
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Hans&Renate |
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English |
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1971 I started working at the Veba Oil Company. There I got to know Manfred Nigbur and his wife Renate.
Unfortunately, Renate passed away in January 1994
At this time my Renate worked at the Weiser Department Store in Buer with her friend Ursel. When Ursel got married to Klaus Eichendorf we all became good friends. |
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left: Manfred and Renate Nigbur
right: Klaus and Ursel Eichendorf |
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Renate was talking about her uncle in Canada a lot. She hadn't seen him since she was a little girl. Christmas time 1972 we talked about going to visit Uncle Werner in Canada. Renate got a job at "Bauer Becks" and I was driving a taxi as a second job. By summer 1973 we could afford our trip to Canada. Klaus Eichendorf drove us to the Frankfurt airport and we were off to Canada.
In Calgary Uncel Werner and his wife Anne picked us up. What a beautiful reunion that was for Renate and her Uncle. We stayed over night and the next day we got to see beautiful British Columbia. We spend about 5 weeks with his family. |
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Back in Germany we had Canada always on our mind and Renate and I discussed the possibilities of immigrating.In 1974 and Renate still working at "Bauer Becks" a nice Restaurant and Bar, we met people like Juergen and his wife Hildegard. Juergen and I were talking about to go with our families to Scandinavia for our next vacation. Since Renate and I have been to Denmark before we all agreed that Juergen and I go all the way to Hammerfest and Kirkeness, Norway. In Kirkeness we put the car on a tourist boat and went for five days down the Norwegian coast. After we got back to Denmark and met with our families to spent some relaxing days in the country site. |
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Lake Inary, Finland |
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Juergen and I crossed the Arctic Circle here in Rovaniemie, Finland. |
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Kirkeness, Norway |
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Hammerfest, Norway |
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Rovaniemi, Finland |
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left: Arctic Circle at the town of Rovanemie, Finland
right: Downtown Rovanemie, Finland |
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Soon after we came home from Scandinavia Uncle Werner and his family came to Germany to visit us. Manfred Nigbur and I organized some trips like vine tours to the Rhine River and Cologne. |
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Every day the WAZ (Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung),our Newspaper, was delivered to my doorsteps. Here is where I found, in the job posting section, openings for Heavy Duty Mechanics and other trades in British Columbia. I applied and got an interview and also the job. Renate, Andrea and I left Germany in June 1976 form Duesseldorf airport. In Vancouver we met Hans Stein, who, as well, was hired in Germany by Cassiar Asbestos Cooporation. Both of us went to a medical examination for the company. We stayed another couple of days in Vancouver. Hans Stein was send to the Clinton Creek Mine in the Yukon because Cassiar Asbestos Cooporation was on strike at this time. We took the Greyhound Bus to go to Sparwood. Two weeks later I went to Clinton Creek, Yukon. |
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Manfred helping me with our siutcases |
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www.waz.de |
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All newcomers had to be transferred to Cassiar from Clinton Creek as soon as the strike was over. In Cassiar I met Alf Guderjahn, who later on introduced me to flying.
After one month in a bunk house I got a brandnew single wide trailer from the company, and I could bring my family to Cassiar. Renate and Andrea joint me in September of 1976. They were living in Sparwood for three month with her Uncle Werner. |
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In front of first Home in Canada |
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Renate at McDame St. in Cassiar |
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In Cassiar, Alf took me flying in his Aronca Chief quiet often. I got to learn how to fly and even building airplanes. There were always things going on at the old airport.
In May of 1977 Alf and I experienced an emergency landing on the road to Cassiar. This was a bit scarry. But with the experience of Alf Guderjahn as the bush pilot, we survived the ordeal. |
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Our friend Alf Guderjahn in his home at Campbell River, B.C. |
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Alf and me in front of the Stinson at Cassiar airport in 1977 |
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A few pictures of the Aronca Chief at a lake in Northern British Columbia |
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Home |
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