The Longing - Mandy, Dorothy

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Résumé :
?A Canadian family caught behind enemy lines in World War II and a mother's longing to bring her family home. A Trip To Germany ?In that year (1939) they decided to make a trip to Germany, where Werner's mother is still living, in Hamburg. They did not sell their land, as this trip was intended as a visit rather than a migration. They sailed on the ship Hansa from New York. Ten days after their arrival in Hamburg, World War II broke out. Jacob Ulmer 1956My grandfather, Jacob Ulmer, saved over a hundred letters written by my mother, to members of her family during our time in Germany. On our return to Canada, when he offered to give them to her, she accepted reluctantly because the memories were still too fresh. Many years later, when she wondered what would happen to the letters after she died, I told her I would take care of them. In translating the letters I attempted to preserve my mother's voice in words and expressions she would have used. I was surprised by the flood of memories of ?the many happy and crazy times of my childhood, and I had no trouble writing those stories. The dangerous and frightening times were more difficult. I was reluctant to delve into them but reading my mother's words and remembering her courage and endurance in keeping us safe made it possible to tell the hard stories as well.In 1989, Richard Dixon, the Minister at Hope Lutheran Church in Nanaimo, asked my parents to talk about their lives in a videotaped interview. I only heard of the existence of the tape after both my parents had died, and I was reluctant to look at it. I knew how frail Dad already was at the time of the interview. I was well into writing our story before I worked up the courage to watch the tape. I am grateful that I was able to tell part of the story in their voices....

Biographie:
From the Canadian prairie to war-torn Germany, occupied Poland, and back to Canada, Dorothy Mandy's journey is marked by a unique tale of both Canadian heritage and immigrant experience. As an adult, Dorothy has lived in a co-operative community, and she played an instrumental role in establishing Haven House, a refuge for battered women and children in Nanaimo, BC. She volunteered at the Sexual Assault Centre and served on the District 68 School Board. Dorothy's passion for advocating women's rights brought her to represent Alberta Women at the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. She now lives with her longtime partner in British Columbia, where she enjoyed the German Choir and served on the executive of the Canadian Society for German Culture to celebrate the culture and music of her youth. She has found her spiritual community with the Nanaimo Unitarian Fellowship....

Sommaire:
From the Canadian prairie to war-torn Germany, occupied Poland, and back to Canada, Dorothy Mandy's journey is marked by a unique tale of both Canadian heritage and immigrant experience. As an adult, Dorothy has lived in a co-operative community, and she played an instrumental role in establishing Haven House, a refuge for battered women and children in Nanaimo, BC. She volunteered at the Sexual Assault Centre and served on the District 68 School Board. Dorothy's passion for advocating women's rights brought her to represent Alberta Women at the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.She now lives with her longtime partner in British Columbia, where she enjoyed the German Choir and served on the executive of the Canadian Society for German Culture to celebrate the culture and music of her youth. She has found her spiritual community with the Nanaimo Unitarian Fellowship....