Eighty-seven year old Bragg Creek resident Siegfried Beckedorf has written and published his first book. Titled Diamonds Everywhere, the book is about Beckedorf's life with his late wife, Ursula, whom the book is in honour of.
Eighty-seven year old Bragg Creek resident Siegfried Beckedorf has written and published his first book.
Titled Diamonds Everywhere, the book is about Beckedorf's life with his late wife, Ursula, whom the book is in honour of.
Though Beckedorf had no prior experience writing, he took on the project in 2006 thanks to prodding by his grandson Cyr Beckedorf-Bourdage. It was after the passing of his wife in November 2015 that he decided to finally finish the endeavour.
“My grandson is the one who prodded me to write a book - he told me to write down my stories because my wife and I had a very interesting background. She was born in Africa and I came here from Germany, ” Beckedorf explained.
In the book, Beckedorf talks about growing up in Germany at the end of the Second World War. He explained that he nearly died from tetanus at the age of 15 and subsequently had to spend time in a nearby military hospital.
“Food was getting scarce and I had to use a grinder to grind meat and in the process I got an infection … we were told to rush to the military hospital because private hospitals don't have the medication.
“My experience in that hospital was awful, the war was coming to an end and German troops were retreating. They brought in wounded soldiers screaming in pain, ” Beckedorf said.
Because of the infection, Beckedorf's entire body had seized with cramps - doctors even had to keep towels in his mouth to prevent him from chomping down on his tongue. When he began to recover, he went for a walk with a young officer who was also briefly in the hospital with him.
“He said ‘You and your experiences at this age, listen to what I'm doing - I'm not going back into this crazy war. I'm looking at nature to give me encouragement to carry on. Look at the diamonds everywhere.' and by the diamonds he meant the dew drops on grass and trees. He said it was ‘The sparkle of the universe reflecting in nature,' ” Beckedorf said.
After that discussion, he became inspired - in 1947 Beckedorf moved to Hambrook, UK, where he worked and attended school to earn his Bachelor of Commerce. While there, he was encouraged by a friend to write down his experiences growing up in wartime Germany.
Then in 1951, he and his brothers travelled to France to board a boat and come to Canada. The trip was intended to last two years and be one last hurrah before they began their careers.
“We already had jobs lined up in Germany and everything, but we decided to take our trip before we settled down. That's when we boarded the boat and sailed for Canada, ” Beckedorf said.
The group landed in Quebec and took the Canadian Pacific Railway to Calgary. From there they headed for the Okanagan Valley where they worked as pickers in orchards.
When the group returned to Calgary in 1953, they attended a dance at a Polish-Canadian hall. It was when he asked a girl to dance that Beckedorf's plans for the future changed.
“After I asked her to dance, she looked at me in surprise and I was embarrassed. But she agreed to dance with me … After I met her, I forgot to go back to Germany, ” Beckedorf said with a laugh.
He and Ursula went on to move out of the city to Bragg Creek and were married in 1955. The pair were well-known throughout the community - Siegfried for his contributions to its development and Ursula for her contributions through music with the town's anthem.
“My wife got to be so involved in the Bragg Creek community in the 1970s and 1980s. She spent a few years as the president of the community, and then she co-founded the Bragg Creek Artisans. Then she composed the composition of the Bragg Creek song, which is still being played now, ” Beckedorf explained.
The book describes the many challenges and successes the pair faced throughout their life together. The two did a lot of travelling and all the while Ursula kept Siegfried entertained.
“It's a story of challenges, new horizons, happy trails, and a life of song and music - wherever we went she played her guitar and sang along.
Beckedorf is currently recovering after having knee-replacement surgery but intends to hold book signings in the area when he's back on his feet. During the signing, he wants to show a presentation honouring his wife and her musical achievements during her lifetime.
To purchase Diamonds Everywhere visit FriesenPress Inc.'s bookstore at friesenpress.com/bookstore.
