The long and winding road home
It was either Australian-British journalist Ella Winter or novelist Thomas Wolfe who said, “You can’t go home again.” But whoever wrote or said it never met this Châteauguay girl.
I first set foot in Châteauguay as a timid little Dutch girl in the year of Expo ’67. My parents had moved our family from the Netherlands to Châteauguay for what was supposed to be a two-three-year adventure. Almost 60 years later, we are still here.
My older brother and I attended Mary Gardner School. He learned English so quickly that his second-grade teacher didn’t realize he was an immigrant; she thought he was just quiet. Despite any language barriers, we made friends easily playing with neighbourhood kids – many of whose parents had also recently immigrated to Canada – and we became proud full-fledged Canadian citizens before my tenth birthday.
During summers, my brother and were invited to spend a week at a dairy farm in Howick. Those days spent running away from cows, hiding in hay lofts, and picking fresh cucumbers for lunch formed some of my best childhood memories. I often think of them as I travel to visit a friend who now lives just down the road from that farm. The sunsets there are still magical.
My father taught math and was a vice-principal at Howard S. Billings high school. He retired at age sixty, over thirty years ago, but I still can’t go anywhere without someone telling me they had my father as their teacher, and he was one of their best. Even after my over forty years of working in TV, my dad is still more famous than I will ever be.
When he passed four years ago, many of our family friends came to the Châteauguay funeral home to pay their respects. One of my oldest elementary school friends, who grew up in Mercier, also showed up. We have been in touch ever since.
Last month, at the invitation of The Gleaner, I met some of you at a Bowser and Blue event at CVR. The fun and the optimism in the air as the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres made for a great evening. Working in news, I know these are tough and uncertain times. But I’m humbled to have this space and look forward to making more Châteauguay Valley memories with you.
Here’s to coming home.
Caroline Van Vlaardingen