A New Immigrant's Shoes Stolen at Pier 21

STORY BY: Peter Blanar
YEAR: 1949
LOCATION: Halifax, NS

Peter's family is from Czechoslovakia, and after World War 2 in the 1940s, they escaped to occupied Austria. They crossed the border through the Russian zone into the British part of Vienna. They spent a year there, waiting for their papers to come to Canada. They ended up in a concentration camp in Germany, waiting for a vessel. They arrived in Canada, like so many others, at Halifax's Pier 21. One their first night in Canada, Peter's father put out his shoes to be shined, and they got stolen. Despite that, they are incredibly thankful for being here. Thanks for sharing, Peter.