(submitted by Gerry and Ria Boere)
On May 5, 1952, the seventh anniversary of the liberation of Holland, the Boere family immigrated to Canada. It was the 25th wedding anniversary of parents Jacobus (Jack) and Maria (Mary) (nee Miltenburg), and the decision to emigrate astonished their relatives. Jack Boere had been a dairy farmer in Hekendorp, Holland. In April, 1952 they boarded the M. S. Sibajak in Rotterdam with their thirteen children, ages 6 to 24.
After working on a farm near Chatham, Ont., for six months, doing farm labour such as blocking sugar beets, they found the farm of their dreams in Warwick Twp. Robert McPherson, whose father homesteaded this farm in the 1880s, sold the west ½ Lot 17, Con. 6 NER (now 7725 Hickory Creek Line) to Jack and Mary Boere and their children, Emmie, Harry, Adrian, John, Jean, Jim, Joe, Mary, Pete, Ted, Bill, Hans, and Gerry, in 1952.
First on the list of priorities was English lessons. Then they purchased the essentials for day to day living, such as a crosscut saw in order to provide wood for the furnace and the cook stove. The outdoor pump provided water and the cistern in the basement collected the rainwater. The following spring there was a flood in the basement, at which time the boys had great fun paddling around in the washtub, salvaging the dried goods that were stored there. In 1954 the family got its first telephone and in 1955, indoor plumbing.
A 28 horsepower Ferguson tractor, two furrow plow and a dairy cow were the first purchases for the farm. On a hot summer day the young boys would have great fun cooling off in the cattle water troughs.
Many of the children were older and could go out to work. Some worked in Forest at the basket and canning factories, at a rate of 60 cents per hour. In season, they would work at the pea vinery just north of Warwick Village. Other jobs were picking tobacco, sugar beets, beans, cherries and raspberries. The older boys obtained jobs in Sarnia and other parts of the country. All monies helped greatly towards the living expenses and the daily operation of the farm. The children would make their own hockey sticks and play on the frozen pond across the road.
Boere family after arrival from Holland, 1952: Short children: Twins William and Ted, Han, Gerry. Back Row: Harry, Mary, Jim, Jack (father), Joe, Mary (mother), Emmie, Jean, John behind Peter, Adrian. Courtesy J Boere.
In 1953, the Boeres purchased their first car. In the first two weeks 1500 miles (2400 km) were tallied! Grocery shopping was done at the Birnam General Store. Bread was delivered to the door.
The younger children walked to the public school, SS#20 (Bosanquet and Warwick Union School) on Hickory Creek Line. As there were many Catholic children in the area, the neighbourhood lobbied for a Separate or Roman Catholic School. St. Mary's was opened in 1954, with John Boere being the secretary of the school board. The younger children finished their elementary schooling here.
In November 1970, the youngest son, Gerry, purchased the farm from his parents. Gerry and Ria continued the mixed farming of his father but soon realized the farm would not provide the income required to raise a family. Gerry obtained a position as heating mechanic for the Lambton County Board of Education, maintaining the Warwick and Watford public schools. Their sons, Chris and Eric, helped with the farm work. Cultivating, picking stones, pulling weeds and cutting wood are a few of the jobs the boys remember. They also worked off the farm at jobs in the Thedford bog near Grand Bend, working with celery, onions, etc., or at Rock Glen campground, or picking stones and cutting grass for neighbours, for their spending money.
Gerry's brothers John and Joe Boere and sister Emmie Leliveld also farmed in Warwick Twp. Currently four of the next generation still live in the Watford-Warwick area: Stephen Boere, Paul, Mike and Steve Leliveld.
In Gerry's childhood the world was very small. Going to Forest was quite a treat. In the 1980s Chris and Eric remember getting their first colour television, then came the video cassette recorder (VCR), and later the digital video disc (DVD) players. The family went from record players to cassettes to compact discs (CD), from 35 millimetre film to digital cameras. Now everyone's world is much bigger, with multiple vehicles in the laneway, computers and cell phones.
In retirement the children and grandchildren enjoy coming home to the farm, to their roots and memories. Gerry and Ria think it is nice to have their farm as a physical connection to their treasured past.
Chapter 24 of 25 - Boere Family
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