Unexpected Journey
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Unexpected journey is the story of a family in the Netherlands during the last century and while life before World War II showed that the country had fully recovered from the big depression of the twenties, the war changed all that. The horror of war and occupation by the German Army was all around us and it was remarkable how the family members were able to cope. In a flash-back to the 80 year war all over the continent, from 1568-1648, the family, then in Germany, profited greatly, as they were traders and bankers, providing uniforms and miltary equipment to all parties involved and even loaned money to warring countries, which was never repaid, causing the demise of the firm. When the Second World War ended, Canadian troops liberated the author's town. He decided to emigrate to Canada. But that plan had to be shelved, because he was drafted into the army and after boot camp was sent to the Netherlands Indies to stop an attempt by nationalists to claim independence. After three years with heavy casualties among his fellow soldiers, he returned home and prepared for emigration to Canada. There, he married a Dutch girl and started a family. In the years following, life was very eventful, partly because two children had medical problems and it was a challenge how to deal with the many problems caused by these unexpected circumstances. Contact with the Netherlands was kept all those years and big events were organized between the two countries. The story ends at Christmas 2008 which held more surprises of this unexpected journey. ____________________________________________________________________
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About the Book
Unexpected journey is the story of a family in the Netherlands during the last century and while life before World War II showed that the country had fully recovered from the big depression of the twenties, the war changed all that. The horror of war and occupation by the German Army was all around us and it was remarkable how the family members were able to cope. In a flash-back to the 80 year war all over the continent, from 1568-1648, the family, then in Germany, profited greatly, as they were traders and bankers, providing uniforms and miltary equipment to all parties involved and even loaned money to warring countries, which was never repaid, causing the demise of the firm. When the Second World War ended, Canadian troops liberated the author's town. He decided to emigrate to Canada. But that plan had to be shelved, because he was drafted into the army and after boot camp was sent to the Netherlands Indies to stop an attempt by nationalists to claim independence. After three years with heavy casualties among his fellow soldiers, he returned home and prepared for emigration to Canada. There, he married a Dutch girl and started a family. In the years following, life was very eventful, partly because two children had medical problems and it was a challenge how to deal with the many problems caused by these unexpected circumstances. Contact with the Netherlands was kept all those years and big events were organized between the two countries. The story ends at Christmas 2008 which held more surprises of this unexpected journey.
About the Author
Born in the Netherlands, Joost von Weiler studied at the internationally renowned Amsterdam Typographical School. At the beginning of the war, newsprint was not anymore available and many newspapers had to close down. His plan to become a journalist but he needed a change in direction. Life during the Second World War was very uncertain and after the liberation by the Canadian army, a plan to emigrate to Canada had to be shelved, because he was drafted into the army to stem an uprising in the Netherlands Indies. After three years and many casualties among his fellow soldiers, he returned to Holland to plan for his new life in Canada. There he married a Dutch girl and started a family. Some children had medical challenges to cope with and life was not as expected, but his life was turned around eventually. The story depicts life in Holland during the Second World War, life in Indonesia before independence and life in Canada during a very unsettled time in all three countries.