John is especially well qualified to write about this topic. He was born in Amsterdam in 1948 and emigrated to Canada with his mother in April 1952 and experienced first hand the challenges that came with immigration in the early 50’s. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph where he earned a BSc degree in Biology. Upon graduation he joined the Department of Lands and Forests, later the Ministry of Natural Resources, and spent several years developing educational programs interpreting the natural and cultural history of provincial parks in South Eastern Ontario. He retired in 2005 as Zone Manager for the Provincial Parks and Protected Areas Branch of South Eastern Ontario and since then has devoted himself to writing. Over the course of the last two years he has edited three books and is currently editing a fourth book for gbooksinternational, a small publishing company from the Netherlands that specializes in maritime history. John is also active in family history research and has coauthored one  paper for ‘The Vlaamse Stam’ a Genealogy Journal based in Belgium and is currently engaged in research for a second paper planned for publication in 2023.

On a final note, John has also been actively involved in his community since arriving in Napanee in 1973. He coached minor hockey for forty years, was involved on the executives of the Napanee and District Figure Skating Club where his daughters skated, served as Parish Council Chairman for St. Patrick’s Church for two terms and for whom he most recently coordinated the design and construction of a new Parish Hall and meeting facility.

This morning John will speak to us about his book, what motivated him to take on such a large and extensive project, and how it affected him and others. John’s talk is especailly relevant to our community where a large percentage are Dutch immigrants and where many first and second-generation offspring are resident. With that introduction, please join me in extending a warm welcome to John this morning.