People are always saying that Canada is known for its kindness, but for one family, that quality led to a very unique Canadian welcome.
The year was 1975. Frank Mycock, his wife and his two young children had made the momentous decision to pack up, leave England and move to Canada. Like many people, they were hoping for better prospects in the land of moose and maple syrup.
“When I was a child, a friend of mine had relatives in Canada and every time she visited, she was always talking about what she’d experienced and I guess I was listening and that’s what sowed the seeds,” said Mycock. “So we decided to move when a job opportunity came up. You had to in those days.”
Mycock said they felt everything from excitement to fear and worry. They were leaving everything and everyone they knew behind. They had never even been on a plane before, let alone crossed the ocean.
Fortunately for Mycock and his wife, their kids were young, only seven and four. They didn’t fully understand what was happening, so there weren’t any complaints or reluctance to deal with. To them, everything was new and exciting.
Once they were on their way, something serendipitous happened, though it may not have seemed like it at the time.
“The flight was delayed. We were due to leave England to Montreal and the flight was delayed two to three hours, so they pulled us off the plane, put us in a restaurant and fed us,” said Mycock. “The whole group that was on that flight was there and our kids were pretty excited. They were telling everyone where we were going and what we were doing.”
Thanks in part to their kids, the Mycocks began chatting with a couple that had been sitting near them on the plane. It turns out that couple was from Winnipeg, so when they found out the Mycocks were heading to Lanigan, they did was Canadians are known for: they extended some kindness.
“She had a cousin living there. She gave us his number and address (in case we needed any help) … I didn’t think much about it. I just folded the paper, stuck it in my pocket and then forgot about it,” said Mycock.
Not too long later, the family was finally in Lanigan and trying to settle in. Having moved halfway across the world, they had almost nothing to start with. They began by borrowing a small car and heading to the Sears store in Humboldt for some furniture
Back in the day, chrome furnishings were all the rage, so why not? They were starting fresh in a new country and a new home.
However, there was just one problem: how do they get that furniture back home?
“(Another customer) was in there doing business and must have overheard us asking the clerk if they could deliver it. He offered to take it to his farm and we could pick it up from there, which wasn’t too far from Lanigan,” said Mycock.
Understandably, Mycock and his wife were leery. They were new to the country and had yet to make friends. They didn’t know anyone, so how could they trust that this stranger didn’t have ulterior motives? Perhaps he wanted to steal the furniture.
Before they could ponder the offer any further, one of the store clerks called out to them and reassured them that the man could be trusted. Once Mycock heard the man’s name, he had an epiphany.
“I reached into my pocket and pulled out the piece of paper the kind lady on the plane had given to me thousands of miles away over the ocean,” Mycock had written in a previous article. “The look of astonishment on his face when he saw his name and phone number written there was almost comical.”
Sure enough, whether it was coincidence or something else, Mycock and his wife had been offered help by the very same man the Winnipeg woman had written on that piece of paper: Dan Kachur.
“It was rather shocking. This fellow came from England and had my name on a piece of paper,” said Kachur.
After realizing what had happened – and getting over their shock – Kachur went the extra mile and said he’d drop their furniture off right at their doorstep.
“He lived out of town. Most people in Lanigan knew the story because he was so tickled about it,” said Mycock.
And so it was that the Mycock’s first experience with Canadians began with a kind gesture that led to a happy coincidence. It was a serendipitous moment that was set to keep on running even three decades later. Mycock submitted his story for the Our Canada Magazine by Reader’s Digest and so went to see Kachur before sending it in. Although they hadn’t seen each other again since their first meeting, Mycock wanted to make sure Kachur would be okay with the article having his name in it.
“I didn’t remember him at all,” said Kachur. “I forgot all about it until he came and visited us.”
The men and their wives were seeing each other for the first time in 37 years. There’s no telling if they’ll see each other again, but it was a friendly end to a friendly beginning.
“Everything started out on a positive foot, right from meeting Canadians on a plane who were really friendly and trying to help and then again with the local people in Lanigan,” said Mycock. “It was a really positive first start. It would’ve been different if it was the opposite because we were already missing home, but that sort of atmosphere helped soften the blow.”
