Vandzene

After about a week the investigator telephoned to say that there are a lot of problems at Vandzene milk factory, the manager had married a farmer’s only daughter and was going farming, so they needed a new manager urgently. The investigator was advising me to change jobs and he gave me the best references as an energetic manager. It did not take me long to decide to take it up, and I gave notice to the committee. Everybody was very surprised that I would leave after 13 years in the job.

Feb 10, 2010

At Vandzene, the factory was in a bad condition; dirty and a lot of the equipment was out of order. The manager said that nothing could be done as it was impossible to get any parts or repairs. With my previous experience at Snepele I knew that if I went in person with some butter I could get it, rather than leaving it to the committee. This way I could get anything that was in any of the warehouses so I took a truck and filled it with everything needed. I had the whole place whitewashed and all the machinery fixed so that we could really start producing.

Feb 12, 2010

We decided then to go to Sweden, a local man with three teenage daughters was arranging it. They knew a fisherman, and we packed some food for a day or so and very little else and went to Mersrags. As we got there a storm came up, and the fisherman said it was too dangerous to go to sea in it. We waited a couple days, hiding in a hay loft, but it did not improve, so we went back home. All of our friends laughed and teased us - the big Swedish travellers! After this the Germans increased their patrols to stop people leaving for Sweden.

Feb 13, 2010