September 2001 - Nr. 9
Dick reports...
Another one is gone!
On the second of August Hans Nebel died after a long illness. He already had a triple bypass in February 1993, yet he hung in there, until now.
It pains me to have to report on matters of this sort, but Hans was a good friend and we did share some common interests. Driving cars in road races was one of them – since I also raced Formula Juniors in Mosport and Watkins Glen many, many years ago. This always gave us something to talk about, since it - and his Porsche 911 - were some of his great loves in life. He was a member of the ADAC and the DAC, the German automobile clubs, and worked for Mercedes since 1975 until retirement-age caught up with him.
The
other one was carnival. Hans, as a member of the Treue Husaren, Toronto,
never missed an event. The last one was the 44th anniversary of
the Narrhalla ’58 in Hamilton. He sat beside me at the same table during
dinner and we all noticed that he was in bad physical shape. It was
disheartening to see. But he was there! He didn’t miss this event, despite
the inclement state of his health. He was there! He was one of the original
"Kölsche Jongs" from Cologne, Germany, and loved his carnival and
the music that went with it – he listened to it at every opportunity.
He was cremated in his uniform of the Treue Husaren and a recording of the bells of the Cologne Cathedral was played at the funeral service. This was an emotional but unforgettable experience for everyone there.
Alaaf, Helau and Ahoi, Hans – you will be sorely missed!
Picnic at the Hansa Haus
The annual picnic at the Hansa Haus – usually held in the area behind the old clubhouse and museum – was rained out. Moving the venue indoors, upstairs into the "Hansa Stube" of the newer clubhouse however ingeniously solved this problem. That way nobody had to be sent home. Since a great number of people that usually attend this function stayed away – because of the rain – attendance was not critical. It became a wonderful and cosy afternoon. The barbeque was held under a tent outside of the kitchen and very successful again. The food was great!
The reason that the Hansa Stube was picked for the picnic was that the large hall was rented out to an auction that afternoon. Thanks to the foresight of the board of directors that inaugurated the building of the smaller venue upstairs, the picnic did take place – and was a great event.
More Picnics
Speaking
of great events! The 11th annual picnic of the Treue Husaren,
Mississauga – carnival society – took place at the Claireville Ranch
again Saturday, the 25th of August. The weather was fabulous and
so was the attendance.
About
100 people, including children, grandchildren and babies took advantage of
the fine weather and the good food that was available. Just to give you an
idea: 80 pork chops, 120 wieners, other sausages and a box of hamburgers
were consumed, and that on top of the hundreds of potato-pancakes – made
from 60 pounds of potatoes - that were served as appetizers at the beginning
of the event, with either sugar, sugar beet syrup, sour cream or apple sauce
to serve as toppings.
All this could be washed down with gallons of juices and soft drinks. Since no alcohol was served, the visitors had to bring their own beverage of choice.
Arno
and Annie Buschmann of course brewed a bucket of Margaritas – also a
tradition – and since Arno hails from Texas (where everything is BIG) you
can imagine that the bucket was not a small bucket! Beer was also in
evidence and freely shared with friends.
Some
of the guests were from other carnival societies, such as the Treue Husaren,
Toronto, Narrhalla ’58, Hamilton, Narrenzunft Concordia, Kitchener and -
the latest addition to our carnival groups – the K.G. Ascendia, Hamilton.
A
richly laden Tombola and a raffle provided not only fun for the people but
also provided funds for the hosts and their girl guard dancers.
Hayrides
were staged in the evening for the children and for the adults. There wasn’t
much hay on the wagon but it was a lot of fun anyway.
The "Sterntaler" at the Donauschwaben
Another surprise at one of our favourite hangouts – the Danube Swabian Club on Scarborough.
All
I expected were a couple of "homeboys" from Austria entertaining
the usual crowd at the club. What did I really find? There were over 400
people crowding the club in the great hall, the restaurant (the walls had
been opened) and the mezzanine. To mine, and most everyone else’s
surprise, most of the guests were Austrians that wanted some entertainment
from the "Heimat", from back home. And they were not disappointed.
These two musicians had a fantastic repertoire and did not ever seem to need
a break. They started at 8:00 o’clock and when I left at 10:30 they were
still going strong.
In the foyer I ran into Peter Aschenbrenner - from Alps Restoration – who explained the circumstances behind the concert. Peter and his wife Maria were attending a wedding in Switzerland where the Sterntaler played. From 6:00 o’clock in the evening to 6:00 o’clock in the morning. They got to talking and the musicians expressed the desire to visit Canada. With Peter’s 30th wedding anniversary coming up, he suggested that that would be a good time. So now they are here. Last Friday they played at the Donauschwaben Club, the next day at the anniversary party and another gig at the Musket restaurant on the following Sunday. Manfred Amman hails from Vandans and Erich Mathies from Bartholomäberg, in the Tyrolean area of Vorarlberg, near Schuns – in the Montafon region - delivered more than was promised. To show their appreciation – since there was no fee for admission – the audience contributed about 2000.00 dollars in donations. By the way this was the first time, in the history of the club, that it was that crowded on a Friday night, so I was told.
Until next time
Dick Altermann
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