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4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 21, 1995 Holland bound a Local veteran will attend ceremony By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Fifty years after he served as a young private during the siege that brought about the liberation of Holland from the Nazis, Robert Healey is going back. » The Port Perry man and his wife Marion leave for Holland on April 28 to represent Scugog when celebrations are held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Allied effort that freed the country from the grip of Nazi Germany in World Ward 2. The costly trip has been made possible through the sponsor- ship of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 419 in Port Perry, and the efforts of a local man who canvassed here to raise funds. Frank Tielemans originally approached the local Rotary Club, of which he is a member, for financial backing for the trip, but learned the club's con- stitution declares that it can back only organizations, not individuals. So he hit the bricks in Port Perry, approaching busi- ness people for pledges to raise the $1,060 necessary. "Once I started asking for what I needed, it took me three hours," a pleased Mr. Tielemans said during a get-together Saturday afternoon at Emiel's Place restaurant in Port Perry. "I thought it was important to send someone from Port Perry. My reason for being so adamant about it right now is that this is really the last chance" for World Ward 2 vets to take part in ceremonies com- memorating efforts from the war, he added. "I thought it was necessary not to let that opportunity go by. "He's (Mr. Healey) a repre- sentative of what's good in Canadian history, and we have a chance with the 50th anniver- EFILE your return... and get your refund fast! Find out how at H:R_BLOCK VIR RINNE [edo N 2 174 Perry St., Port Perry 985-9803 ' 3, Tg "ale = A. |! CN fe" Quality sofas, loveseats, chairs & ottomans, sofa beds, recliners etc. by: » Sterling Upholstery o Concordian Chesterfield * Vogel Chairs ¢ Simmons & more el z Cadi INTERIORS Upholstery Sale SAVE UP TO 50% limited time only i" ORR a FEATURING 8-WAY HAND-TIED (ofol| ME-Tol YW 2 {0d $849. WITH 40 DAY DELIVERY lo] \NelVEN Ko] ORDERS "Oshawa's Fine Furniture Gallery" 50 Richmond St., E., McLaughlin Square, Oshawa 728-6323 a , > 0 RR STAR E ------ JEFF MITCHELLPOF Robert Healey (right) and wife Marion will travel to Holland next month for ceremonies marking the liberation of th possible by sponsorship fro gathered by Frank Tielemans sary to make it come out." Mr. Healey was a 19-year- old private with the Queen's Own Rifles when he was sent to Holland in an offensive aimed at dislodging the Nazis from a country they had held in an iron grip for several years. He arrived in Holland in the late fall of 1944, then spent the win- ter months playing a part in a protracted battle that saw each. side establish what would become a static front; the stale- mate ended the following spring . with an Allied victory. "Let's put it this way: I grew up awful fast," Mr. Healey said of his service in Holland, where both sides sustained heavy casualties in the drawn-out siege."] was just a kid when I 197 Queen Stre 0 Sat. 930105; Photo: Gumboots Neht in, but I grew up awfully ast. "It was scary; terribly, terri- bly scary." Over the years, he said, he has yearned to return to the country that played such a large role in his youth, but said the cost proved prohibitive. He said when he learned the Legion and local sponsors were sending him and his wife to Holland for the 50th anniversary celebra- "tions, he was "on cloud nine." "All the old memories of :* where you were... to think you'll go back to see them," he mused. "That's great to me." Mr. and Mrs. Healey will spend almost two weeks in olland, attending various cer- emonies that will include a at country In the Second World War. Their trip was made m the local Royal Canadian Legion Branch and donations (second from left). At left Is Legion president Fred McMann. huge parade with period mili- tary vehicles.in Apeldoorn. During that parade the Canadian vets -- it's expected a couple thousand will attend -- will be saluted by the Dutch royal family. The best part, however, is that they will be | "hosted throughout their stay by a Dutch family. "a "That's what makes it so much for me," said Mr. Healey. "We'll actually be staying with the people we were fighting or." rol Bride Gk 4 "Mr. Tielemans, who was'a | young boy when the Nazi occu- pation of his country was ended, expressed his gratitude to the . Legion and to the local sponsors who have helped make the trip possible. *z, Gumboots No No No Beatrix Potter Elvira-Vali