StoryLand.on.ca
Title
Storyland near Renfrew Ontario - the perfect childhood adventure
Description
Storyland was founded in 1966 by a young couple who had emigrated from the Netherlands in the early 1950's. Durk Heyda and his young bride Bonnie came to Canada to leave behind many painful memories of his experiences in a concentration camp during the war years. After their arrival, they became interested in a property of 175 acres near the Ottawa River, northwest of Renfrew which was for sale. They ended up buying it for $500, an incredible bargain, and made it the location for their new home. Despite their surroundings their life was still empty; their wish for children could not be fulfilled, and they decided if children of their own couldn't fill their hearts with happiness, then they would give happiness to the hearts of other children.
They were often asked by vacationers, hikers and others for permission to cross their property for picture taking from the Champlain Lookout, the highest point along the Ottawa River. The Heyda's improved their property, built a windmill as a tribute to their Dutch heritage and carved wooden and fiberglass figurines "just for the fun of it". In 1966, the park opened to the public with a setting of five scenes, a playground and lots of high hopes. In the following years, attendance continued to grow as more new scenes were developed.
In the year Storyland was opened, the Bank of Montreal in Renfrew received a new branch accountant, 25 year old John Berkhout. Within weeks, he and Heyda became acquainted, and a deep friendship developed between the two families. Heyda suffered a serious heart attack in late 1973. When word of this reached Berkhout, now living in Welland, Ontario, he and his wife Maria travelled to Renfrew. The patient posed the question: Would his friend be interested in a change of occupation? Life was not exciting in the financial world and the Berkhouts moved back to Renfrew in the fall of 1975. John and Maria loved their new life in the Ottawa Valley. Both the family and Storyland thrived. A new playground was added, more stories and the park was given a complete facelift. Future plans were in high gear, until tragedy struck and Maria was killed in a car accident. Growth was suspended and the difficult years of the early 1980s set in.
