KIT Newsletter

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

The KIT Newsletter, an Activity of the KIT Information Service, A Project of the Peregrine Foundation
P.O. Box 460141 San Francisco, CA 94146-0141 telephone: (415) 386-6072 http://www.perefound.org
Newsletter Staff: Charles Lamar, David E. Ostrom, Erdmuthe Arnold, Ben Cavanna
The KIT Newsletter is an open forum for fact and opinion. It encourages the expression of all views, both from within and from outside
the Bruderhof. The opinions expressed in the letters that we publish are those of the correspondents and do not necessarily reflect
those of KIT editors or staff. Yearly suggested donation rates (4 issues): $15 USA; $20Canada;
$25 International mailed from USA; 10 mailed from UK to Europe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keep In Touch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Whole KIT and Caboodle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~Table of Contents~~~~~
Susan Johnson Suleski
Rachel Mason Burger
Tim Johnson
Renatus Kluver
Peter (Craig) Newton
Elizabeth Bohlken-Zumpe
Joy Morrison
Pauline Ellison Davies
Christina Bernard
Miriam Arnold Holmes
Arthur Lord Life Story

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EURO KIT 2008

Hinsbeck Germany
11th-14th July 2008
see page 11 for details
Susan Johnson Suleski, 4/4/07: About a year
ago, people who had left the Bruderhof, some as
far back as the 1950s, others within the past couple of years, began to receive cheques from the
Bruderhof.
Several versions of a standard letter of explanation were sent out with each cheque. e.g.:
This letter and the enclosed gift of
$_______ is an expression of love from
brothers and sisters on all our communities. Since you grew up with us in a life of
community, we will always share a common bond with you, and we hope this will
be an encouragement to you.
If you do not need this gift, we would
be happy if you could use it to help others
who are less fortunate.
We wish you well, and send our warmest greetings,
Ex-bruderhof networks of friends and families buzzed with questions: Why? Why now?
Whats going on? and opinions differed widely.
Some people asked the Bruderhof, but the answer was always much the same as that given in
the letter.
A year later, it seems that most KIT people
in Britain and Europe have received a cheque.
The basic amount has been UK1500/2000,
which was sent to people who left as children or
had never been members. This amount was increased for people who had been novices or members, but this increase does not seem to have been
applied in an entirely consistent way.
In the US and Canada, reports indicate that
many people have still not received a cheque, and
the basic amount has been considerably smaller,
at $1000. Here, too, the inconsistency regarding

amounts seems much greater. It has been reported

that the Bruderhof delivered the money to people in Paraguay by hand after mailed cheques
went missing. KIT people in the UK were assured that everyone eligible would eventually receive a cheque. (Anyone know what has happened in Australia?)
In Britain and Europe, the cheques were very
often followed up by phone calls requesting a
visit, or even Bruderhof members turning up on
peoples doorsteps. During these visits, one theme
was that things are different now. The Bruderhof
does seem to have set up a number of community houses (mini-bruderhofs) in addition to the
larger established communities.
Rachel Mason Burger, 2/5/2007: David Mason On Friday Janet called me to say that our
brother David had died on Tuesday. His son Chris
had called to tell her and asked her to pass the
news on to me and Bridget. He said that he had
had a rough time on Monday, then had become
very peaceful on Tuesday. I presume the pain
medications must have helped.
When we visited a few months back he already had a lot of cancer, but appeared well. He
had had many ups and downs, finally settling on
fresh juices from the supermarket which he could
tolerate well and which kept him going amazingly long. When we met him he was up-beat and
seemed to be determined to use what time he had
well. He wrote us a number of warm friendly
letters.
I feel bad for Roswith and their family. Dave
had ten children and thirty two grandchildren. As
he said, he had to endure much pain in losing
Hanna and his daughter, but there was also a lot
that was positive in his life.
Now there are four of us Mason kids. One
has gone. Its sad we have spent most of our lives
apart. We now are in contact with Jonny a little
bit which is nice. He and Biene are in a Bruderhof
house in Albany. Take care all of you,
Tim Johnson, 1/17/07: Andrs Jaime Ive just
got off the phone with Justina Jaime Nolden,
(Clementinas older sister) who has had several
conversations with Tina in Asuncon. Justina
told me Andrs was buried on the Sunday, Jan.
14, 2007. The apparent cause of death was a
heart attack. He was aged seventy-one. It sounds
as though he left the Bruderhof under somewhat
strained circumstances a few years
back, and returned to Paraguay, but the details on
this are murky, at least to me.
He was a gentle soul, probably not very
well equipped by background or temperament to
launch into outside life in Paraguay when already well into his sixties. Apparently his living
conditions were pretty appalling. So sad!

Renatus Klver, 1/13/07: Andrs was a very

gifted violin player and loved to play the violin.
From Primavera he was sent to El Arado, to avoid
military service in Paraguay. From ElArado, when
it was dissolved, Andrs was sent to England.
But he did not last long on the Bruderhof in England.
I met him in Uxbridge in 1962 when I moved
from Germany to England, staying in the same
digs. Then I moved again and lost track of him,
but knew that he had a very hard time, racial
prejudice being rife in England. The next thing I
heard was that he had moved to the States. When
and how he ended up again at the Bruderhof, I
dont know, but for many years he lived in New
Meadow Run, I think. Im not sure of the precise
date when he was offered a return ticket to Paraguay, but it could only have been in the last two
or three years, to see if he would like to stay
there, and if not, be allowed to come back. He did
not really want to go to Paraguay, he wanted to
stay with the brothers, but in the end he was
persuaded to go. Tina (Clementina Jaime, sister
of Andrs), was informed that he was coming and
asked if she could take him in during his stay.
This proved very difficult, since Tina has a handicapped son, who suffered a brain hemorrhage
some years ago and is wheelchair bound.
For some time he helped look after Tinas
son, but this did not work out, since he himself
needed a lot of help. He moved out and found a
place to live quite close to Tina, who kept an eye
on him. Later he became paranoiacally afraid of
the dark, and in the end always had his light on in
his room. His sudden death was a great shock to
Tina. The SoB paid for Andrs funeral, as far as
I know.
Peter (Craig) Newton, 2/7/07: Dave & Ginny
Newton Dear friends, It is my solemn duty to
inform you that Virginia (Ginny) Newton passed
away peacefully on the morning of Friday, January 19, 2007, at the age of ninety-one. She left
behind her six children (Patricia, Thomas, William,
Dorothy, Peter (aka Craig) and Paul) and their
respective spouses, children and grandchildren.
Dave had already died in Ecuador some fifteen years earlier, but his mortal remains had been
transferred to the New Meadow Run angel garden a few years before Ginnys passing, and the
two are now buried side by side.
If anyone would like to greet the family,
you may do so easily by sending a message to
Newton-Evans@yahoogroups.com or visiting the
Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Newton-Evans Loving greetings,
Elizabeth Bohlken-Zumpe, 3/8/07: I had a
telephone call from Marilie this afternoon the
8th of March. She told me that her husband

KIT Newsletter
Walter von Hollander died the night
before March 7th, 2007.
Walter known to us as Walla was born in
Hanau, Germany, December 19th, 1926 and was
brought to a childrens home. My great aunt Else
von Hollander, who happened to visit the home,
fell for this fair, curly-headed blue eyed little boy
and wanted to adopt him. Else was the sister of
my grandmother Emmy, who together with
Eberhard Arnold, started the Bruderhof Communities.
In 1928 Walla came to the Rhn-Bruderhof
for short stays until the adoption papers were
completed. When Else finally brought him home
late one evening just before his third birthday and
Christmas, the tired little fellow knelt down before his bed and said: Lieber Gott der Wallala ist
jetzt hier!(Dear God Wallala is here now.) Thats
what got him the name Walla.
Walla was much loved by everyone in the
Community and, of course, by aunt Else (known
as Tata because Heini was unable to say Tante
aunt as a two year old and happily called
out, Tata-Tata.) Unfortunately aunt Else died
January 1932, and Walla was left to the care of
the family and the Community. He spent much
of his childhood in the Barth family and seemed
like a brother to Jrg, Klaus and Stephan. I remember him also with the Trmpies. And as a
tiener he was in our family in Loma Hoby.
Walla was one of the cowboys in Primavera.
Many will remember him as a strong young fellow, driving cattle from the far ends of our property to the corrals, where they were marked with
the Primavera brand of three leaves. Most of the
boys and girls adored the big boys who trained
the wild horses and threw their lassos over the
horns of the aggressive wild cows, who were always too late to come to dinner in the dining
room with the rest of us, and therefore got something special from Ria Kiefer in the kitchen later.
We used to hang around them and listen to their
wild stories about running into tapirs, and confrontations with snakes either on the ground or
falling out of trees to attack them. They brought
home ostrich eggs to make scrambled eggs. One
ostrich egg equaled twelve chicken eggs. For us
children this was amazing a miracle! They
came home with arms full of red Canna flowers
which they found near the swamps to decorate
the dining room beautiful! They always seemed
full of activity, joy and strength.
Walla was very active in the youth group
when I joined it. He organized horses for us, to
ride into the beautiful tropical nights. We used to
make a big bonfires and sing in the woods while
the horses were waiting to take us back home.
Lovely memories! I also remember him, as well
as Jrg Barth coming to our home after meetings
to talk about life and death, life in the Bruderhof
and life in the world everything under the sun.
Sometimes I would hear them talk deep into the
night with my father, after we had long gone to
bed.
Walla was sent to Wheathill in 1952 to help
in the farm and we met there again in 1953 The
Freiburghaus girls Marilie and Marianne, who had
come to Europe also for their studies and training, spent much time in our family, same as Walla,
for breakfast, tea, and in the evenings after the
general meetings. It was not surprising, that my
brother Ben married Marianne, and Walla married Marilie at a later date.
The 60s were bad for all the Bruderhfe,
but they remained loyal through all their many
exclusions. During the 70s another Bruderhof
crisis both couples were sent away to earn
their own living with their large families, but after

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

two years both families returned to the
Bruderhof. Ben and Marianne returned with their
five daughters and Johannes, Daniel and Susanna,
while the three older boys were not allowed to
return; the family was broken. Three of their children were sent away or left at a later date.
Walla got into trouble again and it was suggested that he leave with his boys only, while
Marilie would stay with the girls. This was not
an option for them, completely unacceptable.
They felt the family should stay together. They
left with eleven children, and the twelfth almost
to be born. They worked hard and all the children
chipped in as much as they could. They managed
to survive and raise their children with warmth
and love, giving them a real home!
Eventually Wallas health became poor. He
had severe emphysema. He was unable to work
during the last years, but still helped out in his
sons business as much as he could. He never
complained. When I asked him how he was feeling, he would always say, Oh, I am OK, really!
One of his daughters married here in Holland but was unable find a job as an American.
When she tried an application as a German her
dad was German she got all kinds of questions
about her fathers family. She and her husband
went to Hanau, where Walla was born and actually found half- brothers and half-sisters still alive.
Walla and Marilie were able to visit with them
and kept in contact.
Walla was a fun-loving, warm-hearted,
deeply dedicated person to anything he set his
mind to, a loyal father and even a loyal Bruderhofmember at the time. To raise his family he needed
all his capacities and strength. Marilie and Walla
were successful. They managed, due to hard work
and love.
Walla died at home, with his
twelve children, their husbands and wives, grandchildren and even one great-grand-child around
him, or at least sufficiently in touch for him to be
able to say goodbye to them. Two daughters,
trained nurses, cared for him during the last two
weeks.
He died at peace with the world and everyone he knew in it. He left his children as strong
men and women who helped their mother in every
way. They were a family in a family home! This
is what matters, that our children have a good
start, and a place they can come back to when
troubled or confused. To me, Walla always felt
like a big brother, and I guess this is what he
really was to all who knew him. Memories will
keep him alive.
Joy Morrison, 2/19/07: Barbara Greenyer My
mum Barbara Greenyer passed away at the
Catskill Bruderhof very peacefully and surrounded by people she loved. We, Pauline, Joy
and Bridget were privileged to have been at her
bedside for the last few days.
Almost the whole time her bed was surrounded by the people and the children she had
lived with and loved for the past thirty-five years.
These people sang to her, embraced her and remembered her with love. We also experienced an
overwhelming welcome from all at the Catskill
Bruderhof, So this was also a very emotional visit
for us.
In her life time my Mum embraced and
loved everyone she came into contact with, especially all the children, many of whom are now
grown up and may remember her through her
own stories that she wrote and read to us at Sunday childrens meetings. Mum was loving, caring
and kind and such fun to be with. She understood
my thoughts, and those of others concerning the
Bruderhof, never judging us, but rather she al-

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ways saw the best in everyone. She died on 16th

Feb at 19:10 US East Coast time and was buried
on Sunday the 18th February in Woodcrest next
to my fathers grave.
We were not allowed to be present at either
her death or her funeral and memorial service, but
were rather abruptly dismissed when it was clear
that her passing was imminent. Im still trying to
get my head around this loss of my basic human
rights and have addressed this with my family
and others, but still have no acceptable answers
to give you.
I would be very very happy for you to pass
on my emails through the KIT newsletter, Charlie.
And my love to you all...
Pauline Ellison Davies, 2/21/07: Joy and I
planned to visit Barbara Greenyer at the Catskill
Bruderhof in May. We had already bought our
plane tickets when Joy received a phone call suggesting we come sooner rather than later as
Barbara was not so well.
While we were there David Mason was remembered at a meal time, and two other elderly
people who had died that week on another Hof
were remembered at a memorial meeting. One of
them was Leslie Barron and the other was
Dorothy Mommsen.
Christina Bernard, 3/23/07: My mother, Ricia
passed away October 7th, 2006. She had a stroke
and I flew down to Cartago, Costa Rica, where
she was in the hospital. I was with her the last
two days and was able to say good-bye and also
pass on messages from my brothers and sisters
who were unable to come.
I am enclosing below the herstory my dad,
Jim Bernard, wrote about her.

Ricia Bernard

Patricia (Ricia) King Findley Bernard

was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Quay
Hedges Findley was an attorney in private practice. Her mother, Margery Gundry King was listed
in the Cleveland social register. Her father died in
1963, and her mother died in 1938.
Patricia attended public schools in Shaker
Heights, Cleveland and Monticello College in
Claremont, California.
She served in the US Army during the Second World War as a laboratory technician, and
was discharged in 1945 from Camp Stoneman
Hospital in Pittsburg, California. She studied fur-

KIT Newsletter
ther at LosAngeles City College before she joined
James Bernard as he resumed his post-war studies at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Her first child, Christina was born January
10th, 1947 at the Lying In Hospital in Boston.
Her second child, Anita was born August 11th,
1948 in Weiser, Idaho shortly before the family
moved to Primavera, Alto Paraguay in 1948 to
study and assist in a jungle hospital organized by
the Society of Brothers. This was an international communal group with members from
twenty nations of Europe and the Americas who
offered hospital and medical services to the northeastern area of Paraguay up to the Brazilian border.

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

de la Naturaleza, Friends of Nature.
Later in life, Patricia retired to a communal
farm in the high mountains near the highest point
on the Pan American Highway in Costa Rica.
There she lived contentedly with her library,
garden and cats, interspersed with visits to her
children in Spain, Costa Rica, Hawaii and California.
Ricia passed away in Cartago, CR,
October7th, 2006.
Miriam Arnold Holmes, 2/25/07: To all who
valued Hila and Susie: It is clear to me that
many of us have not been able to properly grieve
for Hila and Susie. It is important to understand
what exactly happened and to share information
about our memories of their lives in order to accomplish getting through grief.
The one mystery to which I have not gotten
an answer is why Susie did not let any of us
know that she was so sick, and why she rejected
offers after Hilas death from various people to
come to Phoenix to be with her and support her.
Maybe we will never know the answers to these
questions, but we can share memories about Hila
and Susie.
I have some wonderful memories about
spending a week with them a little less than four
years before their deaths.
In 2000 they invited me to visit them in Phoenix and offered to pay for my trip. Susie drove me
to the University of Phoenix where she was a student. She was very enthusiastic about her studies
and proudly showed me around campus stopping
at her favorite spots such as the music library. She
would borrow chamber music scores to take home
and play with a recorder player and a pianist with
Susie on the cello. Susie practiced playing her cello
everyday and diligently worked on perfecting her
playing of J.S. Bachs solo cello suites.

Ricia at work in the hospital

While serving as laboratory technician there
her next four children were born:
Juan Diego, on December 17th, 1950,
Don Rene, on April, 15th 1954,
Holly, on December 7th, 1955 and
Margery Elizabeth, on May 19th, 1958.
The family returned to the United States in
time for the birth in Weiser, Idaho of her youngest son, Eric Leroy on May 28th, 1961, who
predeceased his mother. He died August 19th,
1991 in San Francisco, California.
In 1962 they moved to Canyon, California
and were active in maintaining an experimental
school as well as working toward peace in Vietnam. This activity invited repression from the
federal government, and in 1968 the family fled
as refugees to Costa Rica. There they established
the Peoples Development Program for refugees
from various Latin dictatorships supported by
the US Government. This enabled the formation
of a conservation union of theAmericas: Amigos

We also went to concerts of a friend of theirs

who is a harpsichord player. This friend was trying to raise funds to purchase her own harpsichord and Hila contributed a lot of money to her
fund.
We drove to the mountains and explored
natures wonders. It was great to watch both of
them delight in all the flowers and cactuses they
discovered. Hila was a great nature lover and Susie
enthusiastically joined in.
One evening Tim Domer, together with his
wife and daughters came over and we spent a
lovely evening together. Hila showed Tim some
new inventions he was working on involving light
and color. Hila had many inventions for which he
still owned the patents and was still collecting
royalties for them. I believe he was the house
inventor for the many years he worked for Kodak.
He was a physicist and specialized in optics.
Hila was a genius who was humble about that,
and had corresponding poor social skills, a hallmark of many other geniuses.
It was very clear that Hila and Susie had a
great deal of love for each other and they shared
many interests. I enjoyed watching them, talking
and laughing with them and share their delight
and enthusiasm for music, Hilas semi tropical
garden, and baby Humming birds in a nest in their
backyard.
Both Hila and Susie had keen sense of social
justice, and we had long discussions about the
foibles of humankind, but also about hope that
things in the world are changing and that the Dark
Ages were, for the most part, over.
It was a great shock to me to see Susie at
Friendly Crossways next year, in the summer of
2001. She looked terribly ill. Neither Hila or Susie
discussed her illness as far as I know. It is all so
terribly sad and hard to accept. I do cherish my
memories about Hila and Susie.

Short Story of my Life

continued
By Arthur Lord
Also, as we did in the previous instalment, including a final part of his wife,
Mildreds Life Story inserted where it seems to fit within her husbands narrative, set off in a box border
Traveling on the River Paran
Finally we embarked on the ancient paddle steamer Washington, and got ourselves settled
in our first class cabins. They were situated along the deck, not far above the waterline, and we
could lie on the bunks and watch the passing scenery. This became more intimate and interesting
when we left the River Plate estuary and entered the River Paran, which rises some seventeen
hundred miles to the north, in Brazil. We were thrilled by the forests with their massive trees, the
lagoons, the river itself; with the wonderful nights under exquisite skies and stars, and the
Southern Cross, with twinkling fireflies flitting from the forest. The older children had a marvelous
time wandering around the deck, or watching the massive connecting rods of the steam engine
pushing round the paddle wheel cranks.
The skippers of the boats serve seven
years on the river before getting a license. They travel through the night, using their spotlight to
illuminate a questionable outline. Sand bars change, and the water level constantly fluctuates. We
called at many ports during the 1,000 mile journey. The water level was low, and it was rumored
that we would have to change to a smaller vessel for the last hundred miles from Corrientes.
However, our skipper had on board his daughter and two of her friends, and he was determined
that they should see Asuncin. This was not without its hazards.
We became even more interested in the ports of call as we neared our destination. Strains of
haunting music floated on the air, tropical trees lined the roads of the small riverside towns, some
brilliant with red or purple blossom. Finally we approached the port of the city of Our Lady of
Asuncin, which in its day had been of such importance in the history of South America.
The central plaza was bright with flowers, and surrounded by historic buildings and banks.
The Bruderhof had a large house just off the plaza, in Independencia Nacional 321, with offices
and the shop which sold the fine turned hardwood products for which the Community was
renowned. Ancient trams ran along the lower side to the railway station; and beyond past the
Presidential Palace to the zoo park. There was not much traffic about at the time.

KIT Newsletter
Aurora took us to Puerto Rosario

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

To help out in Primavera by Mildred Lord

The fairly large paddle steamer had docked

at a well built landing, equipped with cranes and
covered stores and customs hall. The small diesel-engine riverboat which was to convey us the
final one-hundred miles upstream to Puerto
Rosario was drawn up about five yards off shore.
This shore consisted of a strand of dirty light
brown ooze from which planks were run over old
oil drums to the Aurora, the boat on which we
were to spend the night. All freight and passengers had to cross these rickety planks. The freight
was handled by the busy peons, who trotted to
and fro from the piles of merchandise on shore to
the waiting boat.

Early in 1952 we were asked if we as a family would go to help

out in Primavera and we agreed. At the time we had very heavy
snow and were isolated, at 1,000 feet up. The snow on the road
was level with the high hedge-tops. The army were sent to dig
us out, and I let Anthony, then nearly eight years old, go along
to help them. Realising we would soon be on our way to
South America I thought it might be his last chance to see snow.
The permits for Esther to enter Paraguay were some time delayed, or so I was told, and we did not leave until September.
Esther was by this time in the kindergarten and she loved to
play in the sand-pit her favourite occupation. One day as a
plane flew over she pointed up and said what was clearly meant
for aeroplane. This was the first word we had heard from her.
But from now on she chattered more and more.

On board, we traveled first class, especially

in consideration of the fact that we had two quite
small children apart from the three older ones.
Our cabin had four berths, but between the bunks
was hardly room to turn. As for the toilet, this
required a good humored struggle across a sleepy
mass of humanity. We were served with a meal as
soon as we left Asuncin, but the light of the oil
lamp was insufficient to allow us to see the food
we were eating. I think it was baked beans, and
we had our first introduction to galletas, the hard
rolls which are so common. You can break your
teeth on them until you get the knack of cracking
them open rather as one cracks a walnut. Made
of white flour, they can be used in many ways.

The journey to South America was indeed difficult with five children, two of them not much
more than toddlers. Arriving at our disembarkation port, Buenos Aires in Argentina, we had to stay
there until all details were settled at the customs. This took about five days, during most of which I
was alone with the children. I took them most mornings to a childrens playground nearby. This meant
crossing the main road at a four road junction, with one toddler in the push-chair, one hanging on to it,
and with Aendel, Anthony and Linda walking along with us. I must say, the South American people we
met under such circumstances were most helpful. We had left England in autumn, but here in South
America it was mid-winter and the weather was bitterly cold. Incidentally, there were no traffic lights
at this busy junction as there would have been in England, but just a policeman who appeared to be
waving traffic in all directions at once. Occasionally he spotted us and tried to be helpful, but most
pedestrians just took the opportunity to run across when they could.

Some years later, I was in Rosario with time

to spare, and looked in at a small galleta bakery
where they were preparing the dough. Two men
were stripped to the waist, and one of them held
a wide strip of dough issuing from between two
rollers, like the old fashioned mangle.As the tough
dough came out, he walked backwards supporting the end on his bare chest. At a certain distance, he walked back to the rollers, lapping the
dough to and fro on top of his chest. The dough
was then again passed through the rollers with
the same procedure. Perhaps the slight addition
of human perspiration was essential to obtain
the correct consistency. The cigar-making women
roll cigars on their bare thighs to ensure that the
final leaf remains secure; they also use mandioca
starch.

Unloading the boat at Puerto Rosario

At five in the morning we drew in at Puerto
Rosario, where up on top of the almost sheer
river bank fifteen feet above the water, we saw
the welcoming brothers who had come the forty
miles from Primavera to meet us. The sun was
just rising and there was a general air of activity.
We ascended the steep steps, and made our way
to the community house for a good breakfast. It
was maintained for accommodation of travelers
and storing of merchandise, and looked after by a
regular housekeeper, for many years Johannes
Wirtz.
The Community had two ex army Chevrolet
four-wheel-drive lorries very sturdy. Whilst

Finally, all things settled, we joined a paddle steamer, to sail up the Plata Estuary and join the
River Paran. We sailed towards a wonderful sunset, which I will always remember. As the river
became narrower we could see both shores from the higher deck. Sometimes, as we sailed round a bend
in the river, we could wave to children playing by a shack on a small cliff above the water line. We sailed
for five days. The water was very low, and one man was continually dropping a plumb-line to test the
depth. At one point we were grounded on an underwater sandbank, but finally got free. The hillside
behind one port was purple with flowering trees lapachos, whose blossom covers them before the
leaves come out a memorable sight. When we docked at one port the pier was almost covered by
piles of oranges waiting to be loaded on one of the boats going down stream. Finally we reached
Asuncin where we could stay at the Bruderhof house. For the final one-hundred miles river travel we
had to walk across a wooden plank from the shore, and board the Aurora. From Puerto Rosario we
went by lorry to the Bruderhof in Loma Hoby. There we lived until 1957, then we moved to Isla
Margarita, where I taught the first class, including Esther and Eunice, and remained in the school until
just before we left Primavera 1961.
[This is the last part of Mildreds Life Story. She wasnt able to complete her memories before her
death on January 5th 2000.]

we ate, one of them was being loaded with freight,

and collecting a number of local passengers who
wanted to travel with us to one or other of the
villages en route. There was a small bus service
which ran from San Estanislao, forty miles beyond Primavera, to the port, but any lorries were
expected to accept passengers. Some years later,
a regulation was introduced, that lorries accepting passengers must provide proper seating.

or tree crickets, as they apparently watched our

progress, calling incessantly see-see-see-see-seesee-see. As the forest opened up, the track descended steeply, and the driver battled with the
deeply rutted surface. The ruts were mostly
caused by the alza primas, timber trolleys with
huge wheels which carried heavy tree trunks. The
trunks were carefully balanced under the axle,

Our ex-Wheathill friend Reg Chatterton had

come to greet us, and the driver of the truck was
Roland Keiderling, with Elias Boller as mate.
Before leaving, the petrol tanks of the vehicle
were filled with petrol at our agent Alfonso
Mighetti. He had stacks of forty-gallon drums,
from which a worker filled a big spouted can and
carried the spirit to the truck, all the time smoking the inevitable cigar!
En route to Primavera
We clambered on top of the freight, together
with an assorted crowd of Paraguayans. One
weighty fellow commandeered a seat on the roof
of the cab, but had to be removed because he was
bending it down on the drivers head. The truck
ground its way through the sand of the village
street, until we came to the forest where the track
rose and the surface got harder. The forests
(montes) are always on higher ground, and as we
lurched along, we heard the chorus of the cicadas

and the whole affair was drawn by six oxen.

For a midday rest we stopped under a shady
tree near the edge of the camp (the flat land between forests). It was very hot and we ate mangoes. Ugh! Sticky and stringy and sweet and
dribbly-juicy, with a hint of paraffin in their exotic flavor. We came to the last open grassland,
Campo Loma, in the late afternoon. After due
deliberation, Roland decided to risk a certain track,

KIT Newsletter

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

and bang! The disaster struck as a front wheel

went deep into a hole, from which it refused to
budge. So, Elias set off for Loma Hoby.
In due course Albert Wohlfahrt arrived with
his team of horse wagons. Our family were the
first concern, and we climbed on to Alberts coche
a flat wagon with sloping twelve inch sides,
across which planks were laid for seats. I held
Eunice in my arms on the back seat, which soon
collapsed, leaving me clutching Eunice with one
hand and holding on to the wagon with the other.
Poor Eunice had a rough time, because she had
been quite sick (over the bags of sugar) whilst on
the lorry. Alberts family name was quite suitable
for his work, meaning (approximately) travel
well.
Loma Hoby was our new home
It was dark when we got to Loma Hoby,
where everyone was waiting outside the dining
room to welcome us. Gerald and Nellie Dorrell
took us under their wings, so we soon felt at
home. Our first dwelling was a wooden bungalow next to Bruce and Louise Sumner. One day
Mildred saw a horrible looking creature sitting
snarling on a high ledge of the room. She called
Bruce, who told us it was a Beutelratte [opossum], and with a broomstick he got rid of it.
One night, after a meeting, we were leaving
the dining room and heard a strange swishing
moaning noise. The air around us was heavy and
still, and following some instinct we dashed home
and securely closed the wooden windows just in
time before the hurricane struck. We were lucky;
it only blew the playpen about, but on the hof it
felled a row of paraiso trees. We later saw the
swathe about 20 metres wide which it had carved
through the forest on the way from Ibat.

The Lords second home in Isla Margarita

For the first three weeks we were mildly
quarantined, because just after we left England an
outbreak of poliomyelitis had occurred, and a
number of Wheathill people were affected. It was
a safety measure, but was not too difficult to
endure. The last weekend, three weddings were
to take place, and I helped Nils Wingard erect the
platform outside the dining room, on which plays
and other events would be presented. By this
time the paraiso trees had been actually replanted,
and continued to grow.
At some time we moved to one of the three
houses which stood as a block to the left of the
path to the kindergarten. They had clay floors
and walls. In due course, a covering of earth was
laid on the ceiling, and this made this dwelling the
coolest in which we lived. Leave the wooden windows open at night, swab the floor with a sack
and cold water in the morning and shut the windows before leaving. This ensured a pleasant atmosphere for the midday siesta. During the summer the temperature at night would be about
twenty degrees Centigrade, rising during the day
to thirty-eight or forty.
Opposite to our new dwelling was a row of
casuarinas, trees which are described as resembling giant horse tails. These easily coped with

Re-roofing the hospital Arthur at left

the highest winds. Working in the office, I usually walked past the eucalyptus grove towards
the steam engine, sawmill and slaughterhouse.
The steam engine powered the saw and provided
electric light for the hof. It also provided power
for the pump which raised water from the well
near the kitchen to the 10,000 gallon (45,000 litre) tank. It was made of separate staves so accurately prepared that, when bound with the metal
strips, there was hardly a leak. It was probably
seven feet deep and forty feet in diameter and
stood on a heavy wooden staging about 20 feet
above the ground. The maker was Alberto
DHoedt. He also constructed the pipe line to
convey water from the river Tapiracuay up to
forest level, with channelling to carry the water
to the rice fields all in perfectly crafted timber.
Getting to know the local people
The office in Loma Hoby was at the edge of a
small orchard of wild limes, under which grew a
profusion of the pretty blue Santa Lucia flowers
which greet the morning sun, but by midday are
dead. There was frequent activity outside the
office, because patients for the hospital passed
by the end. The hospital was just across the field,
and was an important feature of the life. It treated
not only members of the Community, but very
many local people, and people who had travelled
a considerable distance. Illness, accident, Saturday night knifings, were all dealt with by the
team of three doctors and the devoted nurses. By
8 in the morning there was almost always a queue
men wearing colourful scarves and voluminous
white bombachas (breeches), women in their long
loose skirts, perhaps holding a small child. I recall seeing one babe in arms holding a feed bottle
in one hand when something caused the child to
lose hold. Quick as lightning, it grabbed and caught
the bottle with the other hand.
These patients were a very good means of
contact, as were the employees we engaged to
help with the forestry, sawmills, cattle and other
work. They were a mine of information about
timber, cattle and all natural life. These local country folk were very warm hearted, and took a relaxed attitude to life. They could also get rough,
as indicated already. A number of brothers had
good relationships with the Paraguayans, but most
of the sisters did not get the same opportunity.
Had we learnt Spanish, if only for simple conversation, and gone out more, it may have helped.
I did have opportunities to go into the district, for different reasons. One was on horseback with Johnny Robinson to try and get enough
cash to pay the workers. This was often brought
from Asuncin. I remember Arno Martin bringing it (all paper), for safety fastened inside a kind
of body belt. A good idea until one had to handle
the soggy money which had become impregnated
with sweat on the overnight trip. However, the
reason for Johnny and I riding round to collect
cash was because the river level had fallen so
much that commercial traffic had stopped it

had been such a dry year. The immediate consequence of that was shortage of ready money.
Johnny told me something very interesting
which helps to understand the character of many
people. One of our responsible employees by
name of Pastor Gray had mentioned his feeling
that he and his family should join the community. The trouble was he had a problem he had
no money and no capital. The local Paraguayans
would say that he had joined so as to have an
easy life. Vencelao Jaime and his family had
joined, but Pastor said that was all very well because Vence had cattle, horses and wagons, and
did not need to join he was more independent.
Understandable pride!
Reference to cattle is a reminder that during
February and March 1954 we had a very long
drought. In order to ensure that the hundreds of
stock had access to water, a number of us spent
most of the night preparing a new water hole to
be fed from a spring in the nearby forest, which
almost miraculously keeps flowing.
A service which I always enjoyed was the
trip to Rosario, either as Beifahrer (drivers
mate) or as driver. In the first years only the
worst weather would stop the journey. Consequently, one got quite used to being stuck, either
in soft sand, or in a hidden hole which was under
water. Memory, good judgment, and a heap of
good fortune were involved. Various theories were
discussed as to the best way to get a truck across
a bad stretch. Some tried to bash through; others,
like myself, preferred a more measured approach
throughout. But if one got stuck, it was a matter
of jacking up on blocks (always carried), building
up under the wheels, jacking up again, and so on,
until the machine could be driven out. One may
be shin deep in stinking ooze, under concerted
attacks from gleeful mosquitoes. In time, the
Government bulldozed earth causeways across
many miles of low lying land, and dressed the
top with a very hard earth material. It was forbidden to use the causeways for twenty four
hours after rain.
One never knew in those days what might
happen. I was returning from the port early one
morning, when a soldier (barefoot) with his rifle
at the ready, halted me and instructed me to proceed to the office of the Commissar. This I did
and had to wait for him to wake and dress. He
then subjected me to a torrent of condemnatory
verbiage, the gist of which was that if a soldier
demanded a lift on business, he must be given the
journey. What had happened was that on the way
to Rosario, Wilhelm [Fischer] was driving a large
group of school children on a trip. He was going
to stay with them and their teachers, and I would
drive the truck back. As we passed by the village
of (I think) General E. Aquino, a young fellow in
a soldiers cap indicated that he wanted a lift.
Wilhelm decided he had enough passengers, and
anyway did not want the chap mixed up with the
children.
The Commissar said the soldier was conveying an important message, and we could not
refuse such a request. I managed to convince him
that I was not the driver, upon which he said he
would find out who it was, and stop him from
driving. Some days later we managed to settle the
matter by paying a not inconsiderable sum to the
official! By and large we managed to keep on
good terms with the local authorities. I once took
the Commissar from Itacurub to Rosario, and all
the way he plied me with Aristocrata caa, and
blew the horn at every bend!
I was once driving a load of freight from the
port, grinding along through the forest, when two
bearings in the differential of the truck collapsed,

KIT Newsletter
and my mate and I had to spend the next two
nights in a little clearing in the forest; I was there
for three nights. We slept on sacks of vermicelli,
which were quite comfortable. An old woman
half a mile away lent us an iron olla or cooking
pot, to fetch water. My mate Bastel [Huessy]
opened a sack of noodles, and boiled some for
our tea, but he put so much in that it kept overflowing. We sent word by Mennonite horse drivers to Primavera, and eventually our own
coches arrived. Albert was the first, and his
first thought was for his horses. He gave them
water from the spring just across the track; we
had been fetching it from the old lady!
I thought it was very nice of the woman to
lend us the pot. She did not know us, only that
we were from the barbudos (bearded ones).
Another example of this trust was when a man, I
had never met before, handed me 600 Guaranies,
and asked me to deliver it to a woman in one of
the villages. I did not know the woman, and was
to obtain her address from the local store. He
wanted no receipt, and only stipulated that I must
not hand it to anyone else.
On another occasion, I was driving a very
heavy load of timber to the port. It extended a
long way beyond the rear of the flat, and so weighed
heavy on the back wheels. The Mennonites had
made a new bridge over a stream at Laguna Majon
on the way to Itacurub, and as we crossed it, the
weighty rear of the truck caused the bridge to
collapse, with our front wheels on the bank, but
the rear ones down in the cutting. There was no
way that the front wheel drive could drag the
truck out. However, in due time, three alza primas
with their eighteen oxen appeared, and I negotiated with the drivers to help me. They brought
the oxen along (after unhitching of course), joined
their tow chains together, and attached the rearmost to the front tow-hook of the truck. With
drivers shouting the ungainly animals heaved, and
up came the truck. What a relief. But the
Mennonites were pretty sore, and of course we
had to make good the damage.
Our neighbourhoodand their customs
The alza prima has wheels up to ten feet in
diameter, and a heavy axle from which extends a
long central pole. The contrivance is maneuvered
over the log, which is secured to the axle by chains.
The pole at this stage points upwards, so when it
is pulled down to pass between the oxen, it lifts
up the oblong section axle, and with it the heavy
log, perfectly balanced. The oxen only have to
pull. The coche was at the other end of the scale

Arthur helping Aendel get water from the well,

on a rare family trip to Rosario 1950s

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

Puerto Rosario - loading the boat for Asuncion

of vehicles. It was drawn by two light horses,
carrying around 15 cwt [hundredweight - according to dictionary 1 Zentner (Ztr) = 100 kg,
20 cwt 1 English ton or 1016,05 German kg]. It
was remarkably constructed. It could travel over
the roughest ground without damage an idea
brought from Russia by the Mennonites, I believe. I once saw the horses take fright and career
by termite hills, the light wagon losing sides, flat,
wheels in the process; nevertheless it would not
be too difficult to put it all together again.
Most of the goods we bought had to come
via Puerto Rosario, and at one of the landings
everything had to be manhandled either up a steep
gully, or up a steep flight of steps. This landing
was preferred both by our agent and ourselves,
as it was the nearest to our warehouses. I was
always interested in the scene by the port at night.
There was a group of stalls, some covered, lit
with paraffin lamps, where one could buy many
kinds of fruit and confectionery, sweets, cigarettes, etc. There was nearly always a fire burning, boiling water to enable folk to prepare their
mate, the national beverage. This is usually made
by placing the chopped dried leaves of the yerba
into a large horn, and filling the horn up with
boiling water. The resulting infusion is then sucked
up through a tube called a bombilla. Mate drinking is often enjoyed by small groups, in which
case the horn, or guampa, would be filled up by
the inevitable old woman, and returned, to her for
refilling as it went round the group. This would
continue until someone called gracias!, which
indicated satisfaction and ended the process. It
also obviated an unnecessary number of thank
you. The bombilla in its simplest form is a metal
tube with a rounded filter at the bottom. Generally it was made of brass, or preferably silver,
and some of them were quite ornately embellished.
I suppose the appearance of some of the
larger villages such as Rosario and Itacurub was
like the towns of North America in the nineteenth
century as described by Charles Dickens in his
American Notes. The roads were simply earth
which was dusty most of the time, but a sea of
mud when the rains came. Odd animals wandered
about, cows, oxen, donkeys, scruffy mongrel
dogs, and even the occasional ostrich, poking
about especially in the ditches for anything of
interest to their catholic palates.
The houses may be constructed quite simply from wood, wattle and daub, sometimes brick,
with roofs of thatch, wood, corrugated iron, or
occasionally tiles. A veranda was essential in an
area fringing the tropics, not only to keep the
walls cool, but to protect them from the torrential rain which could be expected about once a
month, and during the later part of the year. One
story told in the community concerned an early
attempt to build a dining room with dried brick
walls. During the night the rains came and by
morning the building was a pile of mud. They had

not realised that, for many reasons, the first thing

to do when constructing a building was to erect
the roof. Allowing for a good veranda, the walls
could then be made of any material or even left
open; but workers were then protected from the
suns heat.
One other thing we often noticed in the villages was the appearance of the school children
turned out in sparkling white smocks. They made
a pretty sight as they formed up to sing the national songs, or played their games, including
football in their bare feet. Elementary education
is compulsory, but not easy to enforce in such a
scattered countryside; but children did travel quite
long distances in order to attend the nearest school,
either on foot or on a little pony. Despite evidence of poverty, the children were usually bright
and cheerful, if sometimes a little shy or coy in
the presence of a new face.
A common sight in the country district was
the women taking home their household purchases, or going to the village with baked goods
or bananas. Everything was placed in a big wide
basket, which was carried on the head, leaving
the arms free to swing or carry the baby. Even
clay water pots were carried on the head, a ring of
twisted material ensuring that the base was well
sited. The woman would often be puffing away
at one of the locally rolled cigars as she made her
way along the dusty road.

Re-roofing the hospital

The community we had joined was founded
in Germany, and the many people of that nationality who were members had maintained many of
the old customs. One of these was not to eat
animal offal, like liver, tripe, or brains. So, on the
day of slaughtering local women were very glad
to avail themselves of nourishing food which
would otherwise be thrown away. I have even
seen a woman gladly departing with a cows head
balanced on top of her own.
Many of the homes of the neighbouring
people were simple shacks with often only one
room, and an open veranda. They frequently adjoined a smallholding or chacra. This was sometimes well tilled and productive, bearing maize,
millet, mandioca (the staple root crop), and possibly bananas, citrus fruits, or papaya (known in
the community as mamones). The latter can grow
and bear fruit in ten months; the tree looks like a
kind of palm, with the fruit hanging down from
under the leaves and round the stem, looking like
smallish golden melons. The family sometimes
owned a cow or two, which usually got its food
along the roadside, or anywhere else where it
could roam.
Paraguays countryside
The natural herbage grows at a tremendous
rate, and the forests are crammed with trees, scrub,
creepers and all manner of wild life. Orchids of
many kinds grow on the trees, and massive curtains of green creeper are often covered with beautiful purple or pink blossom. The tall, extremely
hard timbered Lapacho is an unforgettable sight

KIT Newsletter
when in flower with its purple mass of trumpets
proudly crowning one of the tallest trees in the
forest. The Cedar grows well in the forest and is
in demand for furniture and carpentry because of
its ease of working. Many hardwood trees, like
the Lapacho, Curupuy, and half a dozen others,
are impractical to use, as it is almost impossible
to drive in a nail. But they are very useful when
carefully selected, and in the hands of a skilful
wood turner can be made into the most beautiful
articles. Metal turning lathes are needed for this
purpose.
The Paraiso is not a native tree, but grows
very rapidly and can give shade after only three
years. This tree of paradise bears lilac coloured
blossoms, which develop into green berries which
are much loved by the huge and colourful macaws.
The flora of Paraguay is wonderful, and to
do it justice would need a systematic study. There
are always surprises. There was an orange coloured flower, something like a wallflower, which
changed quickly to purple when subjected to a
whiff of cigar or cigarette smoke. Outside our
house in Isla Margarita we once had a six-foot
high cactus, which eventually produced a bud.
Then one evening it developed a six inch long
white trumpet which, by its scent, attracted a
moth which hovered like a humming bird whilst
extracting the nectar with its long tongue. By
morning, sadly, the beautiful flower was wilted
and dead. Tiny crimson flowers struggled to
brighten the roadside, and large lilies livened the
edge of ponds. Then there were the masses of
orange blossoms, grapefruit and many more such
trees which gave gladness to the eye in heralding
the harvest which would surely follow.
As already indicated, it seems in retrospect
that it would have been good if the women folk
had been given the opportunity to go out more,
or at any rate to mix more with the national people. I did have possibilities, and often met the
employees, especially down at the sawmill. When
we were at Loma Hoby, I managed to acquire a
severe attack of tropical jaundice, and was interned in hospital quarantine with dear Bob Peck,
a young American who married Hannah Martin,
a daughter of Arno of the sweaty currency. Betty
Robinson was the cook, and asked me if I fancied
anything in particular. There were restrictions on
what we could have, but I suggested a nice bit of
tripe. Johnny, her husband was in charge of the
slaughterhouse, so it was easily arranged, and next
day I was supplied with a big plate of freshly
prepared cows stomach so fresh that bits of
grass were still clinging to it! Never mind, when I
was recovering I walked up to the main kitchen
one teatime, and Betty was getting the meat ready
for the big dining room. She selected a huge, beautifully cooked pork chop and handed it through

Lord Family Primavera 1960

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

the open window to my questioning but receptive hands. I did not look back after that.

times had to make a few dummy runs before landing in order to scare off grazing cattle.

Our family

Meetings and meeting places

So far I have not made much reference to the

family. In fact, they took to things very well. Of
course, everything was new, and I do not recall
anything untoward happening during the first few
years. It was during our time there that Esther
experienced a period of frustration, due to being

Before leaving the hof on the way to the

airstrip there was a cleared space in the trees
where we sometimes held outdoor meetings. At
night, electric lights were arranged on the ground
around the circle. Soon, each light would have
one of the huge seven-inch frogs waiting for the
insects which the light would surely attract. Some
insects would continue to chirp even after being
swallowed by the greedy gourmets, which would
collect anything - even cigar ends. These meetings could be of a spiritual nature, or maybe brotherhood meetings, at which were decided matters
of importance, including action to be taken when
someone had offended the spiritual code of the
community.
Various people have written about their experiences, sometimes very unpleasant things. We
did not seem to get involved in the negative side
of the community until the late 59s or early 60s
and 1961. Most practical matters were handled
at Brothers meetings which took place after lunch
every day, and during which the mandioca was
peeled for the kitchen. The way in which matters
were presented at meetings, especially brotherhood meetings, was very important and could
indeed affect decisions. It took up quite a lot of
time, both that of the Servant and the Witness
Brothers. They would make their suggestions,
which they had previously agreed on in a small
circle. Without a keen mind it could be quite easy
to accept and agree to things which, upon reflection, were to say the least, dubious. Naturally, to
question the proposals emanating from the small
meetings was not exactly appreciated, and to make
counter suggestions to the trend could lead to the
instigator being asked to leave the meeting, and
after talks with a Servant, told to consider his
position. This had happened at Wheathill and
we had stood against it, especially after the
Llewelyn crisis. However, in Primavera, I must
admit to drifting into this position which did not
see clearly enough the way things were going. Of
course, most matters were straightforward
enough, so on the surface the life went on quite
happily.

Arthur helping his two youngest over the

rough ground of the campo in Paraguay
unable to make herself understood. So, Edna
Youle was asked to take the matter in hand, and
she gave Esther individual lessons in speech. This
eventually was a tremendous help, especially
bearing in mind that she was also hearing Spanish
and German being spoken. Nothing was a problem for Eunice, and she would switch languages
without thinking. During our early time in Loma
Hoby, it was necessary for Mildred to go into
hospital, but we managed to come through.
Our family was not so easy to accommodate, with having only one boy. The beds we
liked most were simple wooden frames, across
which strips of leather were stretched diagonally.
Mattresses were filled with wood shavings.
There was plenty of opportunity for activity
with the Vowles family on one side and the
Wrights on the other. Higher up, in a little hollow
on the opposite side of the path lived the Mathis
family including grandma Nona (Swiss), a bit further the family of Hans-Hermann Arnold (German), and in a wooden bungalow at the top the
Newtons from USA. We liked all these families.
Mildred joined the staff of the Loma Hoby
School to teach the first class, and enjoyed it
very much. The first three classes adopted English as the main language.
The strip for aeroplane landing
was on the camp near Loma Hoby. The
planes were usually Beechcraft Bonanzas, very adaptable machines with seats
for two or three passengers. Their condition often left much to be desired. Fence
wire was sometimes in evidence securing various parts which had worked
loose, or fastening a door. On one occasion we had to radio Asuncion that a
plane had taken off and left a wheel behind. Another time the incoming plane
had to keep circling while the passenger
frantically tried to screw the landing
wheels down, the hydraulics having
failed. The pilots were good, and some-

Accountant in the main office at Isla

We moved to Isla Margarita in 1957, and I
got help with the accounting so as to avoid the
long periods of overtime, which had always accompanied the preparation of the annual Income
and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet.
When we first moved to Primavera, I worked
with Arno for weeks, sometimes until 2:00 am,
and before going home we always repaired to the
general store to imbibe a mug of caa to help us
sleep.
The big office at Isla Margarita was near the
entrance gate, the first section being smaller rooms
for the steward, typists, accounts, etc. While I
was there I also had a responsibility for guests,
to see that they were passed on to an appropriate person, and would have accommodation. This
was a very happy service.
Near the office was the wooden radio hut,
in the heat of which I often operated the radio,
which was our only direct contact with our
Asuncin office. All radio users had a time allotted, so as to avoid overlapping. This did happen,
especially if two women on distant estancias were
gossiping. The lead-in from the aerial came to the
hut via a post fastened to a wooden fence. One
afternoon I switched on the transmitter, waited
for it to warm up while the tiny frog which lived

KIT Newsletter
there jumped on to the wall, then called out Aqu
llamando ZP-1K a ZP-5L. If lucky one got contact, with a response, Ola, ola, ola, la 5L de
Asuncin llamando la 1K de Primavera y pidiendo
a comprendida. We had just started our exchanges
when the whole hut started shaking, and I dashed
to the door, but could see nothing untoward. Back
to the transmitter, but again the whole place
started shaking worse than ever. I told Asuncin
to hang on, and dashed outside, The only moving
thing was the old horse Baja, which had been
tethered to the fence near the lead-in pole, and
was blissfully rubbing its backside on the rails.
Congratulations to the fellow who made the
strong connections, but woe to whoever fixed the
post to the fence!
Of course, the radio hut was a little centre
of interest. One could tune in to the local radio
stations for a programme of music, fifty percent
of which must, by decree, consist of compositions by national musicians. One could also listen to the road reports, which, after rain, were
very helpful.
The way the community dealt with people
All kinds of things have been written about the
way the community dealt with people. I think
we must have lived in Primavera during one of
the more liberal or broadminded periods of the
life. Having said that, it was still the case that the

Arthur and Anthony off for a ride

probing questions could well arise if one was

judged to have acted in an improper way. Both
adults and young people were separated from
their family and even from the community.
Anthony ran into trouble because on one
occasion when taking a group for a holiday at the
river house, he stopped and cut some melons for
their delectation. He had not asked permission.
Bear in mind that there was in general an abundance of fruit to which we normally helped ourselves. No doubt the melons were a speciality,
but the fuss was quite out of keeping with the
act. This kind of thing reared its head every now
and again.
A few of the young teenagers, including
Anthony, did not toe the party line to become
members of the youth group (die Jugendlichen).
It did not appeal to them. One thing which did
claim their attention was the appearance of a
Model T Ford, which Hermann Pleil and these
lads overhauled and from which they both gained
and gave much pleasure. At some stage, it was
decided that Hilarion Braun and Anthony may go
to the USA for their further education. Anthony
was asked to sign a declaration that he would
return to the community when his education was
completed, but he would not do so. Then Hans
Meier said it would be all right if he made a statement to that effect; Anthony would not do that
either he was not prepared to perjure himself in
order to get the trip to the States and obtain further schooling. So he did not go, but instead was

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

sent to Asuncin to attend the college there. I
think on the whole he enjoyed the city including his early morning visit to the kerbside market
women with whom he bartered to get cheaper
vegetables for the house. Actually they loved him!
He also got a part time job with the Ford dealer,
and this experience was very valuable.
On one of his trips to Asuncin, I took
Eunice and a friend on the wagon with him to
Itacurub, where Anthony was to get a lift on a
lorry to Puerto Rosario. As it turned out there
was no truck going until the following day, so the
storekeeper Salomon Ayala put him up for the
night and fed him until the truck was ready for
off. Of course, Don Salomon knew me quite well.
On the return trip in the wagon, as we were
descending from the forest just before Isla
Margarita, I spied a log which had fallen across
the track. I tried to pull up the horses, but the
weight of the wagon was too much, and the front
wheels hit the log with a bang. Eunice shot right
out of the front seat and landed on the track. The
wagon having suddenly been brought to a halt,
meant that the horses took up the harness slack,
and with a jolt pulled the front wheels over the
log, and ran over poor Eunice, who felt the effects of the accident for a long time.
Never allow others to direct your mind
There is a great deal which I leave out of
this. I hope that one way or another I have managed to convey something of the purpose which
lay beneath the physical features which I have
described above. We did not believe we had found
the New Jerusalem. Yet we felt we must continue
seeking every day to live more nearly to the spirit
which is inherent in the teaching of Christ the
spirit, not a law. This is difficult; people interpret things differently, but we believed that a
unity could be found. In this I can understand the
monks who spend so much time in prayer and
meditation. Oh yes! The daily round, the common task may furnish all I have to ask, when
they are contributing to a common life devoted to
the service of one Holy Spirit. But we must take
care that we do not allow others to direct our
minds, whether through spiritual readings of appropriate authors, or presentation of matters of
mutual moment. This did happen on the
Bruderhof. It happened to me, and when I spoke
about it I was told to leave. But that comes later.
Two things have remained in my memory.
Heini and his wifeAnnemarie drove over to Loma
Hoby on their way to the airfield, en route to the
States. They passed me on the road, and stopped
to shake hands, and for me to wish them bon
voyage. Then Heini said something which puz-

zled me from then on. He said, Do not worry,

we are not closing Primavera. Just when this
was I cannot be sure, but it must have been in the
mid-1950s. I have no record either when we received the moneys under the Wiedergutmachung
arrangement, but I suppose it was 1959/60. However, Bud Mercer was the Servant in Isla
Margarita, and one fine morning as we passed on
the pathway, he told me he had just heard that
the moneys were now available. Then he followed
up the news with a comment rather like, Do
you not think this is a leading to give up
Primavera? My answer was, Certainly not.
Well, just think about it, he answered. I did,
and the more I thought the more it bothered me.
We were trying to get help under the Point 4
programme (USA) to develop the earning capacity of the community; the rice project was going
ahead; much work had been put into these things.
I spoke about my concern to Erich Hasenberg,
who was helping me. I should have raised it in the
Brotherhood.
It had been decided in 1958 to build a new
hospital in Isla Margarita, and a group of about
20 young people had attended a work camp for
the purpose of helping it forward. I do not know
why it did not materialise. In November 1958 I
circulated to all hoefe a report on the financial
situation in Primavera. Concerning the Hospital,
I wrote, In the event of consolidation here to
two villages, the proportion of labour strength
devoted to hospital and social work would be
very much higher, if the facilities were to be maintained.
I also raised the question whether we should
reconsider the direction from our last conference
that donations earmarked for the Hospital should
be regarded as available for interhof distribution. Having indicated that the Hospital was a
unique feature of Primavera, which I did not wish
to abandon, I added that it did consume time and
monies which could otherwise be used for the
development of the economy. Shortage of available capital was a problem which was hindering
the profitability of income earning departments.
A group of us had prepared figures for the
Primavera Development Fund, to submit to the
Point 4 programme, showing how we would use
funds for which we were applying. This assumed
consolidation to two villages, but the retention of
the hospital which required some twenty-four
people for its operation. Subsequent annual accounts revealed that there was the possibility of
paying our way, and that was despite our withdrawal from the Point 4 application. (This always assuming that we could obtain direct financial help with the hospital work). The withdrawal

Meal time at Isla

KIT Newsletter
and other financial changes were largely instigated
from the North American communities, which in
many ways indicated their feelings that we should
give up Primavera
There is no doubt that my financial reports,
which were circulated to all communities, and ran
to six foolscap sheets, were not well received in
North America. In fact, Balz Trmpi and Duffy
Black travelled from USA to Primavera, and during that visit spent a whole morning questioning
me about my reports and my attitude. [This was
1959. Erdmuthe Arnold] Of course, the
Primavera brotherhood had in a joint meeting accepted my findings, and to condemn them would
have raised a principal issue. As already mentioned, the Accounts which I prepared did show
that, given support for the Hospital, we were
financially viable.
Nevertheless, Erich and I continued to worry
about the suggestion that we give up Primavera,
and it seemed to us that hundreds of people
would have to leave. This was a worry, and I
realise that it was indeed a serious Brotherhood
matter. Our failure to raise it indicates the extent
to which our freedom had been eroded. I was no
longer completely free to express myself. The
deeper meaning of this only became clear much
later, and it is difficult to set down just what
happened.
How we experienced the crisis of 1961
I will try to relate what happened to me in
1961. Bear in mind that towards the end of 1960,
we in Primavera had realised that much was missing in our life, and efforts were being made to
bring about a more free and honest attitude.
Johnny Robinson was sent to Asuncin, for example, with great success.
Early in 1961, Heini and twoAmerican brothers, Doug Moody and Art Wiser, flew from the
States. At a joint meeting, Art Wiser screamed
and shouted about the way in which Heini had
been treated many years earlier, in the 1940s. Of
course, he could only have got this information
from Heini himself, and although Heini was sitting on the platform, he said nothing. I had no
knowledge of the circumstances in those early
days, and it transpired that Arts peroration was
dubious, to say the least. There was maybe one
more communal meeting at which I was present,
and it was probably then that Bruce Sumner and
Geoff Welham spoke against the horror stories
and left the meeting the presage to their leaving
the Community completely.
In those early days of the visit, we were
called into a small meeting of Heini,Art [Wiser],
Doug [Moody] and Witness Brothers, and Heini
asked me whether I was still under the influence
of the Methodist Church. Of course, I had once
been an active member, but some time in 1939
had resigned, and broken my connection with
them, one of the main points being their unclear
attitude to war and violence. During the war I had
not renewed my association in any way, although
Mildred and I were still seeking for the meaning
of Christian life. Going to Wheathill was a development of that search which had required a great
sacrifice. I could not agree with Heini, and the
meeting suggested that I consider the matter.
Mildred left the meeting with me, and we spent
the rest of the evening trying to find where we
stood. We were quite clear, and felt we had left
Methodism far behind.
I tried to get a talk with Heini after that, but
there were so many small meetings in progress
that it proved impossible, and within a very short
time Heini returned to the States having heard
that his wife was ill. In view of the unclarity of

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

my position, and no one knowing what was behind Heinis question to me, I was not allowed to
take part in the numerous brotherhood meetings
which continued under the leadership of the
American brothers. Various other members were
considering their position and even leaving for
good. Some decided they had had enough and left
of their own volition; others were told to go by
the hierarchy. Johnny Robinson was one of the
latter.
At some point I was asked to go to Asuncin
so that Donald and Joyce (a couple who were
considering their position) could return. I went
a few weeks before Easter, and Mildred was later
asked whether she would like to spend Easter
with me, as a plane would be going. She was glad
to avail herself of the opportunity. John and
Gwen Hinde also went to Asuncin. John said
we should eat separately. Nonsense, said
Mildred, which put John on the spot, and we
proceeded to eat together! By this time Merrill
Mow and Gerd Wegner had joined the inquisitors
in Primavera. Mark and Peggy Kurtz were also
sent to help, and I think it must have been at
the time they were expected that a whole group
including the Americans came to Asuncin as a
welcoming party. Certainly, Mildred and I were
called into a big meeting of Americans to agree to
Anthony being moved out of the house into lodgings. This was a very difficult thing for us to
consider, for a number of reasons, but I could see
that even if he remained in one of the houses, his
life would be a misery. We did find a room, quite
nice in its way, (a garden hut), but Anthony later
got full accommodation with a very nice lady.
(When he was leaving for England she and her
daughter were in tears).
When Mildred returned to Primavera, Bud
told her she could not attend the brotherhood
meetings because she had not been to the earlier
ones; it then became obvious to her why, quite
apart from the Asuncin visit, she had so often
been put on evening watch. I was brought back to
Primavera soon afterwards, and called into a small
meeting, during which I was asked what I had
experienced during my stay in the city. In fact, I
had been given a lot of help by many different
people in all sorts of ways worldly people,
of different religious persuasions and even with
no special persuasion. This I related very strongly,
indicating that the Bruderhof was not alone in
being able to show love and consideration. This
almost broke up the meeting, and did not open
the way for me to attend brotherhood meetings.
Mildred told me about the hilarious return
of people from a joint brotherhood meeting when
it had been decided to form a new brotherhood. I
am not going into all that, as others have done so,
nor can I report in detail on the quite wrong way
in which it was decided to sell off Primavera.
Bette (Bohlken-Zumpe) has recorded it in her
book. Mildred and I were called to a meeting, and
asked to state our position. Mildred spoke quite
shortly and I followed, saying among other things
that I had failed to speak out about concerns, and
wished now freely to do so. However, we were
asked did we not think it would be better if we
left the community, to which Mildred immediately answered, No! A young member immediately jumped up and said, in effect, There you
are, you are disobedient to the brotherhood, and
you will have to go.
We left the meeting and spent a long time
thinking about this, and while our personal feelings were to fight things, we had the family to
consider, and the prospect of being possibly
stranded in Paraguay was not good. I have always regretted that after three hours of argument,

I finally signed what was in effect my resignation. We moved to Ibat with other unclear elements, being warned about a black spirit there,
but where we again experienced community life
until the time of our departure for England.
One hot afternoon I saw comandante
Sanchez-Villar riding through the village, and asked
him in for a refreshing drink. We had met during
our time in Loma Hoby when he visited .the hospital (and Johnny Robinson had told him he should
not arrive carrying firearms). He said he could
not understand why we were leaving, and were
needed. It was a quite moving encounter.
Travelling back to Europe by ship
Linda had gone to England much earlier
[1960] for training. It did not work out. She ended
up going to St. Marys Hospital in Carshalton
for work as a nurse. Anthony was working well
at the Ford agency in Asuncin, There was a group
of about 40 getting ready to move to Europe, and
Mildred vehemently refused to travel by plane,
because we would be restricted with luggage, and
would need to take many things with us to start
a basic household again. This was accepted, and I
started to make crates while Mildred got together
as many articles as she could manage huge tablecloths for bed sheets, and all manner of other
odds and ends. We were fortunate in that we had
operated a private household before joining the
Community, and knew what we would need, although we had no idea where we would live.
I do not propose to list everyone who went
with us. The Wright family was included, and
Wilfred took on the main organization, while I
looked after the monetary side. My memory of
the journey to the city is a blank, and I can only
vaguely recall joining the river boat to take us to
Corrientes, where we would transfer to the bigger steamer for Buenos Aires. Reservations had
been made at a hotel in Buenos Aires, but we
found that the proprietor had let our rooms, saying he was not sure we would arrive. It was a
miserable place anyway, and some of our group
had to sleep in the corridors; the weather was
cold and wet, imagination can fill in the details.
For washing we had cold water on the passage
outside our room. The children ate on the tiled
landing. We had been looking forward to a few
days of semi luxury after the cramped conditions
of the ancient river boat Bruselas. We all caught
severe colds. Wilfred and I were occupied with
the paper work involved for the group. Our miserable host, who officiated over meals sitting on a
dais wearing a greasy cap, would only supply us
with water after much persistence he wanted
us to buy agua de mesa! We sometimes ordered
Cinzano as a treat (it was quite cheap), and discovered he was adding water to it. We did manage
to get a reduction on our bill. The name of the
establishment? Hotel Florida Splendid.
When we had arrived at the dock, I had to
attend to one-hundred-twenty items of luggage
relating to our group. A rather interesting little
individual materialised indicating that he thought
he was to look after us. I showed him my credentials, and asked him for his proof of identity.
No, no, he answered, No need for that in Buenos Aires. And indeed this proved to be the case.
Eventually the crates and belongings started to
appear on the dock, and it was hopeless to try
and keep any sort of check, as people were grabbing haversacks or whatever and wandering off
with them. This Argentinian version of W. C.
Fields was also getting agitated because the customs hall was due to close in a few minutes. We
got some stevedores to move the stuff, and our
friend thought we should give them a tip despite

KIT Newsletter
all the notices stating it was not permitted. I gave
him 50 pesos and he handed it over with the air of
one who has done his best. Then he had to get
Leslie Holland to hide his machete instead of
putting it in his belt. But when I was wrangling
with the taxi driver, he appeared majestically, and
with a further series of No, no, no, nos took
matters in hand and got a taxi for 100 pesos less.
As far as our moneys were concerned I had
calculated expenses, made a reserve for emergencies, and then made a personal allowance to each
traveller for use when we called at a port. It was
not much. We crossed the Atlantic to Dakar after
calling at Montevideo, and marvelled at the skill
displayed by our pilot as he manoeuvred past
the oil jetties and piers and rapidly docked in a
small harbour.
The cross channel ferry was not booked
When we got to Le Havre we discovered
that our passages on the cross channel ferry had
not been booked, and my emergency reserve
would not cover the cost. We therefore were by
the same token unable to pay for accommodation
in Le Havre, and the ticket office was due to
close. I said Give us five minutes and took
Wilfred to a nearby cafe and said we must put all
our personal monies on the table. We had not
spent much, as Wilfred and I had not had much
family time in port. Altogether, with the reserve,
we had enough to pay the passages and get some
bread rolls for our families. The rolls were their
first food up to then five oclock in the evening.
They had also had to hang about the docks all
day because Wilfred and I were occupied with
business. Thank goodness for the reserve.
Never mind, we got everyone together
and boarded the Normania which was the first
vessel on which we had travelled to be equipped
with stabilizers. Our crossing was a very rough
one, and the stabilizers seemed to allow the ship
to start rolling and then pull things up with a jerk.
Everyone except Esther and I was sick, but we
were in the lounge, whereas a French school party
were up on deck in the pouring rain and waves.
We finally arrived at Southampton, where we were
met, and conveyed to Kingsley Hall, in the East
End of London. Mildred and I slept in the same
room which Mahatma Ghandi had used on his
visit to England.
Nowhere to go and penniless
We had no money left, and nowhere to go. We
thought we could go to Mildreds folk for a start,
although I had hoped to find work in the
Midlands. The 200 each which we had been
promised in Asuncin did not materialize
Bulstrode was short of cash! In fact it was suggested by one of the young officials that we
ask our parents for the fare to Lancashire. This
we flatly refused to do. Finally we
got enough for our fares, and after
making sure it would be alright, set
off for Longridge and Brooklands,
where we were met very lovingly,
but could only stay for a couple of
weeks or so. Darnboro was
empty, because my mother was in
hospital (Whittingham geriatric),
and my brother Leonhard and wife
had intended moving in but were
prevented by sickness. He
suggested we move there.
We managed to squeeze in, and
at least there were cooking utensils
and other things for daily use. The
place was of course quite dirty, and
there was even food which must

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

Mildred and Arthur share the cooking

in their new home 1961
have been nine months old. I removed some eggs
to the far end of the back garden, and as I placed
them on the ground, they exploded!
Mildred tried to organise the cleaning of the
bungalow, and at the same time see that we were
fed, and get the school age family settled. In the
first place we had to chop our way up the steep
drive, which was overgrown with rambler roses
and other bushes, and the garden was virtually a
jungle. All rooms were pressed into use for our
family of seven when Linda joined us, and we
had to make generous use of double bunks. At the
same time I had to find a way of earning money.
This took three months. Anthony got work at a
motor workshop in Preston, checking newly delivered cars before sale. He was disgusted to be
told he was spending too long checking everything on the list; If anything more than basics
needs doing, it will show up before the first service. My old friend and colleague Jack Clarkson
advised me how to claim Social Security money
to keep us afloat. After trying in Preston, and
missing one job because I was too experienced, I
started walking along the road from Preston and
asking for work at any likely places. I found that
often I would receive less than Social Security
money. Nursing was especially scandalous, and
lorry drivers made their money by overtime work.
This was our proud country to which we had
returned, and which in 1945 had published its
triumph. Of course, had we been stranded in Paraguay, we should have had nothing. We had help
from Anthony as well, and later from Linda. I
eventually got a job with the Federated Employers Insurance Association Ltd., at 750 per annum, after pressing. This soon proved to be insufficient, and my personal appeal to the Governing Director J. B. Broad for a considerable
increase was successful, and stood in good stead
for future salary rating.
The story henceforth closely involves family life, domestic, educational, and emotional in

Lords picnic on bank of River Ribble 1962

10

which Mildred was much more involved. The

family were wonderful, and accepted our new
and often difficult situation with patience, although I have no doubt it was often strained.
Mildred and I discouraged any sign of resentment against the Community; it would not help
matters, and could only harm the person holding
it. We all had our particular problems, and I believe that overall they were tackled and overcome
in the best way. Mildred and I celebrated our
silver wedding in 1965, and were treated by the
family to a trip to Germany to stay with the
Wiegand family. This was some time before
Gerhard returned to the Bruderhof. We realised
that Linda and Anthony especially had worked
extra to get money for the journey. Being the
Accountant in Primavera for many years had
brought me into contact with Gerhard, who was
the Steward at Ibat, and every third Thursday
there was a meeting there and I stayed with the
Wiegand family over the siesta period.
Addendum
This is an addendum which may help to
clarify my feelings, or should I say bring together
my feelings concerning the Bruderhof.
Historically, the community had experienced
a lot of hardship, from its beginnings in the 1920s.
The German Youth Movement had an influence
on it, but there was in the community a revulsion
against the carrying and use of arms. In the 1930s
the arrival on the government scene of Adolf Hitler was disastrous. The outgoing, lively Youth
Movement was encompassed within the Hitler
Youth. Many of the songs of the original movement were retained by the community, and sung
with spirit, but further relationship ceased.
Connections with the hierarchy became more
and more strained, and for educational reasons
the younger folk were moved out of the country
to Liechtenstein. Three brothers were interned
for a time, and it was decided to move the whole
community out of Germany. Thus started the
Cotswold Bruderhof at Ashton Keynes, in England, followed by the sister group a few miles
away. In September 1939 England declared war
on Germany. The British government were always sympathetic, but it became clear that the
German members would have to be interned. Time
was granted to allow the Bruderhof to find another home, which they did in Paraguay. No
other country could be found. So, in 1940/41 all
except three crossed the Atlantic safely, to start a
new life virtually in the jungle.
Charles and Hella Headland and Stanley
Fletcher were left behind to finalise affairs, but
this took much longer than expected, and guests
kept arriving. To cut a long story short, it was
decided by the whole community to make a fresh
start in England, and the farms at Bromdon were
purchased. The previous owner was
turned off by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food for failure to produce essential crops. The small group
were given provisional permission to
move, and it is a splendid recognition of their tenacity that by 1945
they were top grade listing. Sydney
and Marjorie Hindley returned from
South America to support the three
originals, as mens Work Distributor
(leader) and Housemother, followed
by the Mason family.
I have already described a little
of the harsh conditions at Wheathill
when we first had contact; they were
much worse at the beginning, but always the joy of life together was the

KIT Newsletter

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

theme. When we went to Primavera, Mildred and

soon afterwards the Rutherfords sensed a difference from the spirit we knew at Wheathill. It did
not make itself so clear to me right then. None the
less, we enjoyed our life and our work, and were
glad to partake in the building up of a new life in
what was virgin land. A new life in every way.
But there was indeed an undercurrent of feeling,
the reasons for which can only be judged by reading the various books written by ex-members (e.g.
by Elisabeth Bohlken-Zumpe).
I suppose that sooner or later we would
have left the Bruderhof. Being told to go was
difficult, but on reflection I think to remain
even if they had allowed us to do so would have
involved controlling our consciences. Decisions
in the Brotherhood always required unanimity. I
have already referred to this problem. The Society of Friends (Quakers) had faced the same difficulty.
This difficulty is experienced in all societies, and ultimately in many cases a dictatorial
government develops, whether we like it or not.
The ideal of the Bruderhof, that if we are all of

the right spirit we will come to a

united conclusion, leads to personal problems. It is now my feeling that to follow Christ does not
involve acceptance of multifarious rules; that led the Jews into
difficulties. And yet there must
be some central factor. St. Paul
sometimes gets involved in his
letters, but I feel he summarised
matters very well in his letter to
the Corinthians, when he concluded his chapter, And now
abideth faith, hope, love; and the
greatest of these is love.
Arthur & Mildred with their grandchildren 1990
We are glad we did not go to
North America and get involved
in everything which transpired there.A great deal
experienced yes everything, for we should learn
has been and is still being written concerning the
from the failings. I write this on Christmas Day,
communities, much criticism and little of a posiwhen we should be celebrating the birth of Christ,
tive nature. Yet we can only say that most of our
who taught us to be forgiving, to rise above the
dearest friends are Bruderhof people, with whom
laws of man, to believe on God as His Father, and
we had our deepest relationships. We sought for
to find Love.
the highest, and are grateful for everything we

EURO KIT 2008 KLAASHOF- Hinsbeck, Germany. 11th - 14th July 2008
Situated near the Dutch border at Venlo, easily reached in a day driving
from most areas of Europe. This is a beautiful area of Germany. It is a
popular holiday area especially for bikers and walkers, so it is
necessary to book early.
There are lots of lovely things to do, and we hope to arrange a tour of
the area by horse and cart (with a barrel of beer on board) a boat trip on
the Maas, amongst other things, and of course walks and maybe bike
rides for those thus inclined.
We plan to use the farm house as the centre of activity, and have
booked evening meals (buffet Friday due to staggered arrival times, and
BBQ/Grilling Saturday & Sunday). Drinks will be provided at the farm
house throughout the day & evening when we are there, including tea,
coffee, beer, wine, juices, water etc. The Klaashof has a lovely courtyard, sheltered, with reclining chairs flowers and birds, part sheltered,
ideal for BBQ. The farmhouse can cater for about 80 people, so on
recent attendance that should be fine. Bikes can be hired nearby, and
cars can be hired at most airports.
The cost of evening meal, and drinks at the farmhouse throughout the
weekend is 20.00/30.00 each day per person. Everyone attending
will be required to pay this, and it will need to be paid in advance.
KLAASHOF
Please send payment for Evening meals and drinks throughout at
20.00/30.00 each per person per day. I will send a receipt card,
which will give you access to the premises. Make cheques/money
orders payable to Linda Jackson.
I can accept (British pounds) or (European Euros) cheques/notes. I
can also accept paypal payments contact me.
Where to stay:
You will need to book your own accommodation. Anthony & Rita have
arranged a special price at the following hotel:
Hotel JOSTEN (about 1,5Km from Klaashof)
Familie Germes, Wankumer Strasse 3, 41334 Nettetal
Telefon: 0 21 53 / 916 70
Fax: 0 21 53 / 131 88
josten.de

eMail: info@hotel-josten.de
Internet: www.hotel-

Telephone Mr. Hans Germes and state clearly that you are
booking as part of the KIT group.
15 double @ 80, per Room/night, 4 single @ 65, per room/
night
this is a special price arranged by Rita.
YOUTH HOSTEL (this is a nice YH and very convenient can be

reached a short way on foot by anyone who doesnt mind walking through
the forest at night.)
They also offer single and double rooms with WC and shower.
Jugendherberge Nettetal-Hinsbeck, Zirkus-Jugendherberge, Heide 1, 41334
Nettetal-Hinsbeck
Tel: +49 (0)2153-6492
Fax: +49 (0)2153-89598
www.hinsbeck.jugendherberge.de

hinsbeck@jugendherberge.de
http://

This Youth Hostel is very popular so early booking is essential.

N.B. when booking: do this directly with YH Hinsbeck by e.mail if
double or single room required, not via the electronic booking on their sight
as this goes through the national booking and does not offer the single/
double rooms and charges a higher price.
Airports Airports near Nettetal: All airports have motorway connection
to Nettetal except Dsseldorf-Niederrhein (Weeze aiport). (email Anthony
at lord@lomac.de if any questions re airport listings )
TOWN / AIRPORT

DISTANCE to NETTETAL in:

KM. / DRIVING TIME R = rail
connection to Nettetal (.) = low cost airlines

Mnchengladbach (D)
28 / 25Min. (to Luton, London city and
charter flights)
Dsseldorf-Niederrhein (D) 35 / 30Min.
(Ryanair)
Dsseldorf (D)
50 / 40Min. R (Air Berlin)
Eindhoven (NL)
85 / 50Min.
(Ryanair, KLM)
Maastrich (NL)
95 / 70 Min.
(Ryanair)
Kln / Bonn (D)
100 / 60Min. R
(TUIfly)
(Germanwings) (HLX.COM)
Dortmund (D)
118 / 90Min.
Brussels (B)
190 / 150Min.
Brssel-Charleroi (B)
220 / 130Min.
(Ryanair)
Amsterdam (NL)
200 / 120Min. R regular direct flight
connection to Dsseldorf
Frankfurt (Hahn) (D)
238 / 130Min.
(Ryanair)
Frankfurt a. M. (D)
260 / 150Min. R

The organisation is a little different this time, BUT A change is a good

as Hopefully it will work out well.
Linda Jackson, (X - Wheathill - Primavera - Wheathill Bulstrode) 7
Severn Street, Longridge, Lancashire, PR3 3ND. UK
+44 (0) 1772 784473 +44 (0) 7703 133369 E-mail:
lindalj@btinternet.com

11
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KIT Newsletter

Vol XIX No 2 September 2007

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