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Over the years, thousands of people have ventured to Red Lake. A great many of those people stayed to call Red Lake their home.And their reasons for coming to this area are varied – the employment opportunities from the gold rush brought workers from around the world, many of whom created a better life for themselves; the pristine wilderness and serene beauty allowed many suffocated city dwellers to escape the hectic lifestyle; and the thrill of the hunt lured sports enthusiasts up for fishing and hunting adventures.
There are countless other reasons why they came but none might be more important than the reason Anna Zupanic traveled to Red Lake.
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Anna is a holocaust survivor and dreamed of coming to Canada where she could begin a new life. Her reason for coming was freedom.“Who wouldn’t want to come to Canada where we are free, we can walk and we can talk to everybody,” she said.
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A Holocaust survivor arrives in Red Lake4 December 1953
Red Lake Road, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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Her brother, Stan, and sister-in-law, Matilda, were already living in Finntown on McKenzie Island where her brother worked at the mine. She arrived at Red Lake Road in 1953 and was happier than she had been in a long while.And even though circumstances weren’t ideal when she arrived (the train had dropped her off at the dirt road in the middle of nowhere and it was winter and miserable outside) but when her brother came to pick her up she “was happy because I was free.”
They were even in an accident coming back to Red Lake! Their car slid off the icy road and into the ditch, but that didn’t deter Anna. She was grateful just to have the opportunity to be here.
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Anna lived with her brother and sister-in-law in Finntown until May of 1954. She remembers her time there fondly. It was there that she met some friends and attended parties and get-togethers.She even discovered that one of the neighbour boys from her home in Italy lived in Cochenour! In fact, quite a few people from her old village came to live in the area. “I was so surprised to find these people here.”
They actually came to work in Winnipeg but found that there was no work there in the wintertime. They, like so many others, came to the Red Lake area to work in the mine.
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Neighbours in Finntown28 May 1954
Finntown, McKenzie Island, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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Anna had been living in Canada now for about six months and was about to meet the man she would marry.Anna attended a baptism with her friends from Italy where she was introduced to Frank. They were all acquainted through working at the mine and Anna was taken with Frank right away.
They were married in Kenora on August 5, 1954. She was 27 at the time and Frank was 22 years her senior but she knew that Frank was stable and could take care of her. Frank even built them a house in Balmertown, one they owned. This seemed rather prestigious at the time because most of her neighbours rented small houses from the mine. Anna spent her time looking after her husband and their house.
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Anna Zupanic enjoys her freedom.1954
Finntown, McKenzie Island, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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Anna seemed to have everything she ever wanted, but yet, there was still a feeling of isolation, loneliness, and dislocation. She had suffered a great deal before coming to Canada and the memories still haunted her.In the ’50s, little was known about the horrors that took place in Germany and few people in the Red Lake area could understand what Anna had endured. She was often sick and, speaking little English, had trouble asking for help.
She was different culturally and historically and people were afraid to listen to her pain. “The other women (in the neighbourhood), I could not smile like those women. I was too tired, worn out from the old country and worn out from working,” she said.
Although she went to several doctors in the area, they couldn’t understand what was causing Anna to be sick and were giving her medication that didn’t seem to help her.
She was finally introduced to Dr. Weinstein, who was Jewish. He was able to understand her symptoms and treat them accordingly. Not only that, but he understood her on an emotional level and could offer his support. He even had her tattoo from the concentration camp removed, hoping to relieve some of the horrible memories. She no longer had to cover up that part of her past.
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Anna's charges1957
Balmertown, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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From the time Anna arrived in Canada, there was only one thing she really wanted, and that was to have a baby. She always loved children.Before coming to Canada, she had worked for a well-to-do family in Rome looking after their three children. Frank had told her that once she learned to speak proper English, then it would be time to have a baby. She was determined so she looked for work everywhere, hoping to pick up the language from her co-workers. (She had learned seven other languages this way.)
With no luck in town, Anna finally found work two doors down, with a family who needed a housekeeper and nanny. She worked nine hours a day. Working with the children gave Anna a great opportunity to learn English. The woman, who was a teacher, would also write down all of her chores and grocery lists in English. Anna was forced to learn and quickly understood the language.
Anna finally did become pregnant and had her only son, Tony, on April 14, 1959. She devoted her life to taking care of her family and her home.
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Anna Zupanic finally got the baby she always wanted. Her son Tony was born April 14, 1959.1960
Balmertown, Northwestern Ontario, Canada
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They had hopes of moving to a city, either Winnipeg or Toronto, once Frank retired. However, a series of events would cause this never to happen.At that time, they could not sell their house. The price of gold was low and nobody was interested in buying a house. Those that rented housing were free to go at any time, but the mine would not buy their house and nobody would buy it privately. In fact, many people left the area, and Frank and Anna were forced to stay.
Once Tony graduated high school, he moved to Toronto to go to college. Frank and Anna had hoped to join him in Toronto one day, but Frank developed Alzheimer’s disease, and Anna spent her time taking care of him. Frank eventually passed away on February 17, 1983 and Anna still remains in her home in Balmertown.
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Although Anna has yet to leave the Red Lake area for the big city, she will never forget her feeling of happiness when she arrived.“Overall, my time in Red Lake has been nice. I was happy. I looked after my husband and my gardens and flowers. And most of all, my son was educated,” she said.
Her primary goal, to provide a better life for her son, was achieved and she is grateful for that.
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