Remembering our roots ~ Rocky & Ellie Blokland

Times Contributor

 

The Blokland surname originated in Holland in the 1800’s. Rocky was born in Holland on April 6,1951 and six months later his parents moved to Canada with their family, which included Rocky, his brother Emile and sister Winnie arriving here in Nov 1951. 

As a youngster he saw quite a bit of Canada, as his father who was a baker moved from town to town, looking for a bakery to acquire. They lived in Timmins, Brandon and Yellowknife, before reaching Stettler in 1965, where his father purchased the bakery. It was here that his given name of Rokus was changed to its current form of Rocky. During his travels he attended Elementary School in Brandon, Man., Junior High School in Yellowknife NWT, and Senior High School in Stettler, before going to NAIT for his Journeyman Bakers Certificate. As Rocky’s grandfather  and father had both been bakers before him, it was only natural he would follow in their footsteps.

Ellie’s (Conway) family originated in Belfast, Northern Ireland and came to Ontario in the early 1900’s. She was born on Aug. 19, 1949 and has one brother. She attended Queen Elizabeth School in Picton, Ont. until Grade 8, but then had to leave school, to look after her grandmother. She, too, moved around the country and was living in Bonnyville, Alta. when she met and married Rocky in 1983. They raised two sons, two daughters and have 11 grandchildren ranging in age from four to 14. 

Rocky and Ellie visited this part of the province in 1999, looking for a bakery to acquire, and they kept coming back to Strathmore, where the bakery was for sale. 

Both made the decision that this was the right place to live, so they bought the bakery, and opened Rocky’s Bakery on Feb. 1, 2000. As it is open six days per week, there really isn’t much time left to get involved in community activities, but as you know Rocky is now in his second term as a town councillor, a position he thoroughly enjoys. Both Rocky and Ellie are pleased now that they made the decision to open and operate their bakery/cafe/catering business here. They love the town, the people, and the amenities, and really appreciate the tremendous support shown to their family business. They also enjoy its closeness to Calgary, the U.S., and B.C. Their long-term plans are to continue operating the business as long as health permits, then retire and stay in Strathmore.

The biggest change they’ve seen in the past 14 years is the population explosion. When they arrived, there were 6,800 people living here. Now it has almost doubled. Further changes are on the horizon, which will enhance Strathmore’s position as a place to live in the future.