The other night I happened to be at the same meeting as my dear friend Lou Veeken. After the meeting we had a long visit. Lou will soon be 81. He is just as sharp as ever however now he is sporting a very fashionable cane.
Lou arrived in Giscome in May of 1953 straight from Holland. It was snowing when he arrived and he couldn't believe it. He said it was quite the experience. It started out with a long train trip from Halifax to Prince George. His first job upon arriving was on a farm picking roots. He was 22 year old and he went from a corporal and radio operator in the air force in Holland to a farmer picking roots in Giscome. He wondered out loud many times saying, "What the heck am I doing here?"
After a year in Giscome he purchased the property on Blackburn Road. There was a small chicken coop on the property that he figured would house about 100 chickens so he said, "Let's raise chickens!" And raise chickens he did. With one expansion after another the family business ended up with 40,000 chickens.
Question: Why does a chicken coop have two doors? Answer: Because if it had four doors it would be a chicken sedan!
The family worked the Veekens poultry farm for 50 years, and then sold the quota. The land now lays vacant.
I asked Lou if he ever counted his chickens before they hatched and he laughed and said, "Oh yes, all the time, and if they didn't produce then I would wring their necks!" He said it was a good time and a good life. He enjoyed it and the community.
When Lou retired he went into full time volunteering for the community. Lou is very active with the Knights of Columbus, Rotary and anything to do with seniors. A big accomplishment was his involvement in getting the Fort George Manor off the ground in 1992.
The Sacred Heart Senior Citizens Society was formed in 1980 by members of the Sacred Heart Church in response to a lack of seniors' housing within the parish. Today, the Society owns and operates Fort George Manor which is located at 1870 Gorse St.
The Manor is still owned and operated by the Sacred Heart Senior Citizens Society. It was a struggle in the beginning to get occupants and now they have a huge waiting list.
Lou and his wife Coby have been married for 52 years; they raised seven children and now have 22 great grandchildren. They both still love to travel and especially to Europe.
The Elder Citizens Recreation Centre, 1692 10th Ave. is presenting a mystery dinner and play with a 1950's theme on Saturday, January 26th. The doors open at 4:30 pm - dinner and play at 5 pm. Advance tickets only @ $12.00 per person; for more information call 250-561-9381.
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