Cloth doll, 1954. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (A2003.4.1).

Wilhelmina received a doll from the Sisters of Service for Christmas, and a memory to last a lifetime

The week during the 75th Anniversary of Dutch immigrants coming to Canada, I donated a rag doll to Pier 21 that I had received upon my arrival to Canada. My parents, Gerard & Wilhelmina Bouma and six children, left the Netherlands aboard the SS Maasdam in December of 1954 and arrived at Pier 21 about a week before Christmas. I remember the five youngest children (I was 10 at the time) each receiving a gift. My sister Jane (age 8) & I each received a rag doll, my brother Peter (age 11) a yellow dump truck, my older sister Elly (age 14) a coloring book & crayons and an other brother Hans (age 16) small Maacano set. I have since learned that not every child received a toy upon arrival in Canada, but since we arrived about a week before Christmas I suppose we were treated special. We also received some Christmas candy.

One type of candy we received was the old fashion ribbon candy. Some of it tasted like root beer (very new to us) and to this day we still refer to that type of candy as "Halifax Candy". The gifts and the candies were given to us by the Nuns who met us at Pier 21.

Accession Number: S2012.954.1