Note: The town of Leamington is located in the southernmost part of Canada near Lake Erie, east of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, USA.

 Because this is the best place to live, there are more than 1,500 Mennonite households with a Leamington address today. The Mennonite people arrived in the Leamington area during three time periods: the 1920s from Russia, the late 1940s from Prussia and Russia, and from 1958 to the present time from Latin America.

 One account from each time period follows.

    Nicholas Hamm remembers: In 1927 as a twelve year old he, along with his parents and siblings, was grateful for the opportunity to join extended family members in Leamington. he Hamm family's first Canadian home consisted of two rooms in a house on the Northeast corner of Wilkinson Drive and Hodgins Street. Shortly after, they moved to the second floor of a house located on Erie Street South, three houses down from the corner of Askew Street. The Rymal family lived in the corner house; the Logans lived in the second house from the corner. Mr. Logan was General Manager of the H. J. Heinz Company. All were friendly neighbours. Soon the Hamm family relocated to a house on Setterington Street, on the site of today's Knox Presbyterian Church Hall.

 In 1931, they purchased a home at 147 Talbot Street West, four lots west of Leamington High School, on the north side of the street. The economics of the "Dirty Thirties" are well illustrated by the purchase of this house and lot. Extracts from an agreement for sale of land with all appurtenances. Agreement concluded on May 17, 1931.

Price, $1600.00

$100.00 paid upon execution and delivery

          $1500.00 due and payable as follows:

          $1100.00 on May 16, 1931 without interest

          $400.00 mortgage at 6 1/2 % interest and

                        payable twice a year in ten years.

 In the meantime young Nick attended Mill Street School where Miss Kerr was his teacher. He went on to Leamington High School from 1929-1934 where S.J. Courtice was Principal. On Saturdays Nick worked the twelve hour shift at the Leamington Loblaws store for which he earned three dollars.

During the War, Nick worked 40 hours weekly and attended school in Detroit in the evenings. He graduated in 1947 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Nick was hired by Canadian Bridge on Walker Road in Windsor where he was employed until his retirement. Today Nick is a resident in the Leamington Mennonite Retirement Home.

 George Schartner relates: As an eleven year old I immigrated to Canada with my mother and four siblings in 1948 and found a new home in Blytheswood on John Dick's farm, now part of the Municipality of Leamington. In 1951 we purchased a house in Leamington on Mill Street East across the street from Sudds' Groceries.

 I immediately saw the benefits of living in Leamington. Mill Street Public School where I completed Grade 8 was just a few blocks from my home. A bicycle ride easily allowed me to explore the layout of the town and visit Seacliff Park and the beach on Lake Erie. The friendly merchants in the busy shopping area in downtown had all the goods I needed or wanted. Work could easily be found in town or on nearby farms. I thoroughly enjoyed the new freedom of going almost anywhere without having to depend on someone to drive me there.

 My high school years were spent at United Mennonite Educational Institute for grades 9-12 and Leamington District Secondary School for Grade 13. Excellent teachers, friendly classmates and the opportunity to learn made these years for me extremely important. Possibly the fact that a certain young lady, Gisela Wiebe, who also attended LDSS while I was there caught my eye and later became my wife, also added enjoyment and significance to this stage in my life.

After a year at London Teachers College, I joined the Ruthven School staff as teacher in 1958. While teacher and later principal at Ruthven Public School, I continued to enjoy my living accommodations in Leamington and the short commute to work.

Following my marriage and arrival of children we moved into the countryside a short distance east of Leamington where we purchased a house in 1967 on Highway 3 (now County Road 34). Four years later, in 1971, I accepted the offer to become Principal of Mill Street Senior Public School where I remained for five happy years. In 1976 I continued my career in education as Principal at Centennial Central School in Comber where I remained for the next 17 years until my retirement in 1993. Throughout these years my family and I enjoyed our home and garden on a spacious lot near Leamington.

 Fresh fruits and vegetables of great variety, available employment, parks, beaches, marina, recreation complex, nearby golf courses, schools, hospital, churches, care facilities for seniors, pleasant climate and friendly caring neighbours have all helped to make Leamington and surrounding area such a wonderful place to grow up, have a career and enjoy retirement.

Helen Bergen recalls: My parents and my two older siblings came to Leamington from Durango, Mexico in 1972. Mom and Dad came to Leamington because they knew that there were many job opportunities here; they lived with friends until they found a place of their own. Dad started working at H. J. Heinz in 1973; I was born in 1974 and Mom and Dad bought their first home that year. Mom and the children worked on many farms. I remember picking tomatoes on the Glenn Collard farm, and working on the harvester on the Krueger farms.

 I attended Gore Hill School from Kindergarten through grade six and East Mersea School for grades seven and eight. My favourite teacher was Mrs. Dent who motivated me to do my best and gave me stickers for work well done. 

 While I went to Leamington District Secondary School I worked in a local coffee shop, and then in a local factory. My favourite teacher was Mr. Unger who taught me a very important lesson about balancing one's life. He said that even if I failed a test or a course, ten years later no one would remember and it would not have had the catastrophic impact on my life that I imagined at the moment. And I fondly remember Mr. Ives, the Head Guidance Counsellor at LDSS. His daughter and I became good friends. Through him I came to realize the world of opportunity that comes with post-secondary education. He helped me arrange for aptitude testing and obtained information from various universities for me.

 I went to University where I was in the co-op program and worked with the Pickseed-Corn Division in Tilbury and then the Harrow Research station. After my graduation, I was employed by Morse Growers Supplies (MGS Horticultural Supplies) in Leamington. In 2000 I returned to school to study nursing. During those four years I volunteered at Leamington District Memorial Hospital and worked part-time at the Sun Parlour Home for Senior Citizens.

 Today I am a cardiac nurse and my long term plan is to complete my Masters in Nursing after which I would like to work in the Leamington area as a Nurse Practitioner.

 Family is important to my husband and me. We have two children and our extended family members live nearby. We appreciate the fact that Leamington has a variety of Mennonite churches. We participate in baseball and basketball leagues in Leamington, and our children take swimming lessons in town. Leamington is large enough to offer music, sports, volunteer opportunities, and various public and private high schools. We also enjoy the Leamington Marina, Point Pelee, near by places like Pelee Island, Colasanti Farms and Jack Miners. We tend to take these places for granted until out-of-town guests express delight when they visit.    

 Leamington's ethnic diversity allows me to actively teach my children to love ALL God's children, regardless of their skin colour, language or dress.

 Leamington is the Number One Place in the Number One Country!

  (back)