Coming to Canada
A bold decision made as a teenager leads to a happy life in Canada
Iwas born on December 15, 1937, in Schwenningen (Neckar) in southern Germany, the third child of four girls. During the spring of 1956, my girlfriend made plans to immigrate to Canada. I decided to join her, but I was underage and therefore afraid to tell my mom. My friend and I did all the paperwork we would be required to present to the Canadian consulate in Karlsruhe. Two weeks before we were to leave for Karlsruhe, my friend backed out. I, however, decided to stick with the plan.
Now I had to tell my mom. At first she was shocked that I would undertake such a venture, but after a lot of thought, she gave her permission and told me, “If things don’t work out, we will get the money somewhere to bring you back home.”
With that comforting assurance, I went to the consulate in November 1956 to make everything official. I departed from Bremerhaven on a ship called Seven Seas on February 28, 1957. I was 19 years old at the time, and left with one suitcase and $50.
I arrived in Halifax on March 11, 1957. I remember that it was a rough crossing and when I fell seasick for two days, oh that was so terrible, I thought I would die. When we finally arrived in Halifax, it was late evening. As we approached the harbour all of us were happy to see the lights of the city. Because of it being so late, it was necessary for us to spend one more night on board.
The following morning we were greeted by immigration officials and finally processed. Since our train to Montreal left at about 6 p.m., a group of us went to take in some of the sights of Halifax. The following morning after a most uncomfy train ride, sitting up all night on hard wooden benches, we were happy to get to Montreal, where we were separated and interviewed individually by immigration officers. I never saw my new friends again, and was put up at the immigration barracks for the night. In the morning, being now by myself, I was put on a train to Winnipeg.
Since I could not speak any English, the train ride was very frightening—especially since at almost every stop some very intoxicated men boarded the train. I was glad, however, to have found out that there was a German-speaking gentleman working in the dining car who was kind enough to help me with my meal selection. I’m sure everyone could see that I was a new immigrant, and I hid the identification tag that I was told to wear around my neck for the whole journey.
On arrival in Winnipeg, I was met by a Mrs. Reid who interviewed me and then took me to my new home and place of employment. The adults in the house spoke broken German, but the three children did not, and that presented problems at times.
In late April, I met a young and very handsome Air Force officer cadet; we fell in love and married that October. The Canadian government had sponsored my trip from Bremerhaven to Winnipeg, which cost a total of $255, a lot of money back then. My poor husband ended up repaying the amount in full on my behalf from his meagre wages. I often think, he bought me from the government!
Since then, we have lived in five Canadian provinces and, including a stay in Australia, have moved households 33 times in 36 years of Air Force life. We’ve been blessed with two sons and five grandchildren during more than 60 years of married happiness. Now living in Nova Scotia, by choice, not Air Force necessity, I am enjoying life in the Maritimes. About that decision made so long ago, I have no regrets.