Us
Me
Hans's Story
My parents were both born in Estonia. During the Soviet invasion of the Baltic states my father joined and fought
with the Finish army against the Soviet aggressors. He was one of those guys you see in historical footage
sporting a rifle and travelling on cross country skis. He took two bullets to his leg. The mighty soviet army could
not defeat tiny Finland so the conflict eventually ended with Finland securing all its territory. Unfortunately my
father had to flee for his life and made his way to Sweden.
My parents met in Estonia during the war but separated and were not reunited again until Sweden. My mother also
a refugee crossed the Baltic in an open boat and contracted pneumonia. Well my parents did marry and little Hans
came along in Kristianstad, Sweden. By Estonian law I am automatically an Estonian citizen! My sister Aili was born
in Gutenberg, Sweden. During his stay in Sweden working as a tool and die maker, my father researched where he
would settle with his family and after seeing books and photos of British Columbia he decided it was the place to
raise his children.
So my parents boarded the big boat and sailed to Canada landing as most did at Pier 21, now the Canadian
Museum of Immigration. He worked for a time in the mines of Sudbury to get money to complete the trans Canada
trip to Vancouver, our final destination. In Vancouver I lived in three places, a rental home in the early years and
two homes that my parents owned. Both my brothers Paul and Jan were born in Vancouver. My father worked for
a time at his trade as a tool and die maker but eventually started his own metal working business. He found time
to build a thirty-two foot cabin cruiser on which many of my most cherished childhood memories were made.
In Vancouver I went to three schools, grades 1-2 at Edith Cavell Elementary School, grades 3-6 at Sir Richard
McBride Elementary School and grades 7-12 at Gladstone Senior Secondary School. I attended the University of
British Columbia and obtained my engineering degree in engineering physics. Along the way I became a Canadian
citizen and then took my first international trip to Japan, a most memorable venture. We walked everywhere in
Japan just to flavour the culture. During my student days at U.B.C. I spent two months on the CCGS Hudson as it
did oceanographic surveys along the British Columbia coast. The CCGS Hudson was on its famous
circumnavigation of the Americas, the first such feat in history.
I worked in Vancouver and Richmond for a time in industrial management but my most satisfactory work began
when I joined the federal government of Canada in the Department of Transport. I was the Airport Manager at Port
Hardy Airport, the Airport Manager at Thunder Bay Airport, the Manager of Professional and Environmental
Services at Winnipeg with responsibilities for northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the
North West Territories, the Director of Airport Security Services in Ottawa with responsibilities for all Transport
Canada airports in Canada. I also had a memorable experience working as Management Advisor to the Government
of Grenada assisting in setting up the management structure for Point Salines International Airport, now Maurice
Bishop International Airport. This was a time shortly after the American invasion of Grenada.
I met my wife Laura in Ottawa and we married in Winnipeg. We moved to Nova Scotia in 2000, our centenary
project, and have lived in Portuguese Cove ever since. Laura was raised on her family farm in Mount Hanley, on the
North Mountain of Nova Scotia, where many of her relatives remain to this day. We live with three rescued cats,
one mostly Maine Coon Cat, and two mostly Norwegian Forest cats.
I'm retired and enjoy playing bridge and chess, watching movies, cooking, hiking and nature photography.
with the Finish army against the Soviet aggressors. He was one of those guys you see in historical footage
sporting a rifle and travelling on cross country skis. He took two bullets to his leg. The mighty soviet army could
not defeat tiny Finland so the conflict eventually ended with Finland securing all its territory. Unfortunately my
father had to flee for his life and made his way to Sweden.
My parents met in Estonia during the war but separated and were not reunited again until Sweden. My mother also
a refugee crossed the Baltic in an open boat and contracted pneumonia. Well my parents did marry and little Hans
came along in Kristianstad, Sweden. By Estonian law I am automatically an Estonian citizen! My sister Aili was born
in Gutenberg, Sweden. During his stay in Sweden working as a tool and die maker, my father researched where he
would settle with his family and after seeing books and photos of British Columbia he decided it was the place to
raise his children.
So my parents boarded the big boat and sailed to Canada landing as most did at Pier 21, now the Canadian
Museum of Immigration. He worked for a time in the mines of Sudbury to get money to complete the trans Canada
trip to Vancouver, our final destination. In Vancouver I lived in three places, a rental home in the early years and
two homes that my parents owned. Both my brothers Paul and Jan were born in Vancouver. My father worked for
a time at his trade as a tool and die maker but eventually started his own metal working business. He found time
to build a thirty-two foot cabin cruiser on which many of my most cherished childhood memories were made.
In Vancouver I went to three schools, grades 1-2 at Edith Cavell Elementary School, grades 3-6 at Sir Richard
McBride Elementary School and grades 7-12 at Gladstone Senior Secondary School. I attended the University of
British Columbia and obtained my engineering degree in engineering physics. Along the way I became a Canadian
citizen and then took my first international trip to Japan, a most memorable venture. We walked everywhere in
Japan just to flavour the culture. During my student days at U.B.C. I spent two months on the CCGS Hudson as it
did oceanographic surveys along the British Columbia coast. The CCGS Hudson was on its famous
circumnavigation of the Americas, the first such feat in history.
I worked in Vancouver and Richmond for a time in industrial management but my most satisfactory work began
when I joined the federal government of Canada in the Department of Transport. I was the Airport Manager at Port
Hardy Airport, the Airport Manager at Thunder Bay Airport, the Manager of Professional and Environmental
Services at Winnipeg with responsibilities for northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the
North West Territories, the Director of Airport Security Services in Ottawa with responsibilities for all Transport
Canada airports in Canada. I also had a memorable experience working as Management Advisor to the Government
of Grenada assisting in setting up the management structure for Point Salines International Airport, now Maurice
Bishop International Airport. This was a time shortly after the American invasion of Grenada.
I met my wife Laura in Ottawa and we married in Winnipeg. We moved to Nova Scotia in 2000, our centenary
project, and have lived in Portuguese Cove ever since. Laura was raised on her family farm in Mount Hanley, on the
North Mountain of Nova Scotia, where many of her relatives remain to this day. We live with three rescued cats,
one mostly Maine Coon Cat, and two mostly Norwegian Forest cats.
I'm retired and enjoy playing bridge and chess, watching movies, cooking, hiking and nature photography.
Hans's Story