FAMILY HISTORY:

Canada is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest in the world in terms of land mass. It's population ranks 25th in comparison to other countries globally.

My family originates from the Province of Manitoba which is located right in the center of Canada and also lays in the middle of North America. Manitoba is often referred to as the Keystone Province because of those facts. 'Manitoba' is a Cree name that means "the place where the spirit speaks."

The first people to live in Manitoba were the Cree, Ojibwa, Chepewyan, Assiniboine and Saulteaux. Manitoba has about 1.16 million people, with 59% living within the capital city of Winnipeg. In 1870, Manitoba became the fifth province to join Canada.

Little Known Facts:

One quarter of Manitoba's land mass is covered with Forest.

The Royal Canadian Mint is in Winnipeg.

Churchill in Northern Manitoba is "The Polar Bear capital      of the world."

Manitoba is known as "The Land of 100,000 lakes."

Before I was born, the entire Kingma clan of eight siblings had determined within their hearts and minds that it was time to move out west. Jacob and Alice Kingma, the parents (my grandparents) of these siblings were the main contributors to the idea that it was best for all concerned that this move be made. They believed that there were many more opportunities for their children and their descendants.

Grandpa was ultimately the leading force behind this move to British Columbia, which he considered the 'Promised Land.' More must be said of this man before I continue onwards with my own story. Jacob Kingma (Grandpa) was born in Oosternijkerk, Friesland, a northern Province of the Netherlands on February 9, 1916. His father, having served in the trenches of WWI returned home with pneumonia, only to die a short time later. Six months after his death, my grandfather was born. At the age of twelve, his mother sent him to Dokkum, Friesland to apprentice as a barber so he could help support his family. My grandmother, Alice (nee Bosch) was born in Ternaard, Friesland on February 19, 1916.

My grandfather served in the Dutch Underground during the early 1940's, actively being involved in hiding Jews, establishing communication and human traffic routes and helping house and feed orphaned children. Eventually, my grandfather had to be hid himself towards the end of the war due to his activities in the Underground. One of the children they helped, Vera Boot, became a lifelong friend and would often visit them when not on the mission fields. They met and married in the Netherlands and they soon found themselves longing to emigrate after WWII. Six years after the war, in the spring of 1951, they immigrated to Manitoba, Canada.

Grandpa decided upon immigrating to Canada, that he wanted to try a different occupation. He accepted a job as a painter to work on the Hudson's Bay building which was being newly renovated. Having found himself teetering on scaffolding upwards of nine-stories, my Grandfather quickly decided that being a barber was not so bad after all. But before he had a chance to pick up the clippers, he found himself extremely ill with a liver disease that was considered by many professionals to be terminal. My grandfather, realizing that he had nine mouths to feed, searched high and low for a solution to the disease that was threatening his life. Eventually, he came upon a group of fervent faith healers who prayed over him. He quickly recovered and soon picked up the clippers to never again sway from being a barber. From that moment forward he always served as an Elder in the various churches he would attend throughout his life. In many ways, he was a very inspirational person in my life.

The move to British Columbia was seen by everyone as the right move based upon on the conviction of my grandfather. By this time, a number of the older siblings had already been married in Manitoba. It became the united dream of everyone to pack up their families and all of their possessions onto six vehicles to make their way to set up new homesteads in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Upon reaching Abbotsford, every family member had personal destinies that would dramatically unfold, making their own personal contributions in this area of the world. My grandfather once again established a barber shop, called Jake's Barber Shop on Montrose Avenue in downtown Abbotsford that still bares his name and is operated by his son-in-law, Matt Peters.

My dad and his brothers all became seriously involved directly and indirectly in the housing and real estate markets. Two of his brother's, Sid and Peter eventually joined forces in the 1980s and started up Kingma Brothers Developments Ltd. in Chilliwack, British Columbia. My father and his brother Haike also joined forces around the same time and formed Kingma West Developments, specializing in the restoration of homes and apartment buildings in Vancouver, British Columbia. My father would also become directly involved in the production and manufacturing sectors contributing to the Abbotsford and Victoria economies. Each of these business partnerships proved successful over the years due to the differing attributes and strengths shared visions of each partner.