2006 1(19) - UCWLC

Anne TkachykWhat Happened after the 65-mile TrekREADING THIS ITEM (Call For Anthology Manuscripts, 2001 — Ed.) insomething that might be of interest to you.My name is Anne Tkachyk (nee Pocaluyko). Born inThalberg, MB (borderline Beausejour, Broken Head,Ladywood and many others).I was born 1921 to Wasyl Pocaluyko, who was bornin 1892 in Ukraine and Tekla Bendera. They came toCanada as young people in 1906-1907 from ChmeliskaMychaniha and Ternopil. I have lived in Etobicoke since1941 and attended the church of Svjatoji Pokrovy from1944.I want to stress this story very much.My Uncle Nick was born in 1898 to my grandparents,Ivan (1861) and Agnes (1869, Chmeliska) Pocaluyko,who arrived in Canada in 1907. Nick, their first-bornson, was one of five children they brought with them.My Dad was 16 by then.In 1924, Nick was one of those many farm boyspicked up and taken by the Mounted Police (RCMP).The boys were told they were Austrian Germans andmight be a problem to Canada in case of a war. No waytrue! These were young men of the Ukrainian pioneerswho came to Canada from 1898 to 1907, and so on. Theymarched these men 65 miles to Winnipeg where the garrisonarmy camps were. They slept on the ground andwere hungry. This was fall of September 1924. All thefarmers—Letwins, Kendyfara, Leshko and Hladys—knew the RCMP took their sons. There were many garrisonarmy camps. And they are still there.I was 4-years-old and heard my Grandmother tellI havethis to my Dad.After awhile, a few months or weeks, these men returnedsick. Most of them didn’t speak English much:none, when taken away.My Uncle Nick Pocaluyko, son of Agnes and IvanPocaluyko, never was the same after that. Skinny, hehad no colour; couldn’t breathe well. And, what to say?He died in 1925 at 27. I remember when he was dying,he kept saying, “Hurts me, hurts me.” I guess it was hisheart.Now my Dad used to say what healthy men they allwere his brothers Mike and Tony and Nick and himselfand their sister Kas’ka, born in Chmeliska, Ukraine.Baba lived to 94. Us four girls, my sisters MaryStachyn, Jean Pocaluyko, Dorothy Krupka and I, wereraised by Dido and Baba after Dad died. We came fromthe east and buried her in 1962.Broken Head, Manitoba connects a few miles to Thalbergwhere most of these pioneers of 1906-7 boughtsmall acres of land from the government for $10 perfarm, like John and Agnes Pocaluyko, Korny Bendera.Some others were John Leshko and family, Sabada andfamily, Matchysin and Ruzys.The sections were north and east leading to PineFalls by train and highway.The Korny Benderas were blessed with a daughterChristine. She, a granddaughter-daughter of Bill andPauline Saluko, became a nun at 21. Sister Janice is inNasha Doroha ! Anthology: Experiences of Ukrainian Women in Canada ! winter/2006 23