A long-time Dalum resident with deep roots in Denmark made a trip back to his home country recently.
Olav Pallesen and his daughter Connie Halliwell were in Denmark for a family wedding, as well as to visit family and friends. While he would have liked to have gone later in the spring, particularly for Danish strawberries (that are red all the way through), a bright spot of their trip was everything was in bloom, especially the vibrant canola fields.
Pallesen made Canada his home over seven decades ago but has been back five times in the last dozen years.
His adventures in travelling began all the way back in 1951. While his family had no agricultural background, he worked in the fields as a teenager, during and after WWII, and was hooked.
“I was plowing fields, walking behind the horses. You see, the Germans occupied Denmark from 1940 to 1945. After the war, it took three or four years before you really started to get some equipment in, and before the war, it was pretty well all horses, so we hadn’t gotten changed over like a lot of places.”
He had an uncle, Ejnar Paarup in Dalum, who wrote Olav, inviting him to come to work in Canada. He arrived in Halifax in February of 1951, and collected the $20 his uncle had wired him. With that safely in his pocket and having no knowledge of the English language, he embarked on a five-day train trip across the country, having his 21st birthday along the way.
“I sat on the train, and these porters came through and sold sandwiches. They must have been very honest, because I had no idea what that money was. I ended up in Calgary and didn’t have any bills left, but I sure had a pocketful of change.”
His first impression of Canada in the winter was wanting to turn back and go home. But since his uncle had paid for his passage, he would have had to work enough to pay him back, and then save up to pay for his fare home.
“When spring came, I loved it,” he said. “The snow melted, and the girls were pretty.”
The community, with its strong Danish heritage, was accepting, and Olav soon learned the language.
Not long after, he met and married Rita and they had four children: Daryl, Barry, Connie and Joan.
He worked for his uncle for seven growing seasons. He and Rita then moved to and worked at Rita’s parents’ homestead near Beynon until 1964, when they moved to Dalum. They had a mixed farm - both growing grain and raising a variety of animals over the years...chickens, pigs and cattle.
His son Barry, daughter-in-law Pauline, and granddaughter Kirsten have continued Olav and Rita’s legacy, working the family farm.
While his roots are firmly planted in Dalum soil, during his trip he was able to return to his hometown. He was born in Silkeborg, but grew up in Gørding, where his father was a schoolteacher.
Connie says while the wedding was the primary purpose of the trip, there were many highlights. They put on over 2,000 kilometres travelling in a country that could fit inside Alberta many times over.
They were able to visit and enter his childhood home, as well as visit the beach where he played as a kid. They also visited his mother’s grave.
Connie explains in Denmark, the churches are mainly supported by the state and they maintain the cemeteries. Graves are typically turned over after 20 or 30 years. Olav’s mother shares a plot with an Australian gunner who was shot down in WWII.
“This plane was bringing in weapons for the underground. The Germans were tipped off about the arrival and shot down the plane.” Olav remembers seeing the plane crash in a field. “Of the seven airmen, there was one fatality (the Australian) and two were injured who were captured, while the other four escaped to Sweden.”
After the war, the locals gave the soldier a proper burial where he now lies. “There are always flowers planted on that grave,” said Olav.
Among the many highlights of the trip, the wedding was very special. Connie’s son Erik was able to join them, making it three generations to attend.
Over the years, the Pallesens were a host family for the International Agricultural Exchange Association (IAEA). The organization sent students to different parts of the world to work on farms, and the Pallesens loved their involvement. They hosted their first exchange in 1971, and their last in 1982.
He has kept in touch with many of the participants and they visited several of them on their trip, who they deem to be extended family. Another highlight was a reunion at an old Danish inn with six fellows who worked in the Dalum area in 1973 and their wives.
The family enjoyed this most recent adventure, and chances are, there may be more in the future.
“Dad says he should quit calling it his last trip to Denmark, because he keeps going,” chuckles Halliwell.
He replies, “Last time I had to get a new passport they asked me whether I should renew it for five or 10 years, I said five because in 10 years I’d be looking at the grass from the bottom by that time. This time they didn’t ask me -- they just gave me a 10-year passport.”