For a long time, immigration has been a large part of the Canadian story. Different waves, different reasons and different results.

It has been what it has been, it is what it is, and it will continue to be what it continues to be. How is that for an all-encompassing, general conversation starting and ending statement?

Let me attempt to summarize the discussion at our table last Thursday at the weekly Royal Canadian Legion fish fry. On King Street, next to Veteran’s Memorial Park.

We had been discussing the current immigration situations around the world. Deep stuff, and a break after I caught myself actually feeling sorry for Toronto Maple Leaf fans. Just for a moment or two.

Six of the people I was dining with had attended Niagara District Secondary School together back in the day, and each week I absorb so much about the history of Niagara-on-the-Lake just by being with them. I listen and learn, and each week we seem to veer off into other lanes.

Really, I hesitate to ramble about recent immigration, although so much has been “not that long ago.” With caution, I am going to speak about Mennonites, after several discussions at the Legion and on the telephone with my new pal, George Dyck. Not Dueck or Dick, and yes, it is easy to get confused.

It is shocking how little I know about such an important group of people here in NOTL. I have lived here for some 40 years, and have driven or run past Mennonite churches hundreds of times, with little thought about their history. Shame on me? Not really, it’s just the way it has been.

So many pals from the old Hot Tub Hockey League, Chautauqua, and around town.

The Mennonites are an Anabaptist Christian group originating from the 16th century’s Protestant reformation, named after their leader, Menno Simons.

Full disclosure: until last Thursday I had not realized that the Protestants were the people who were protesting against the Catholic church. Maybe most people knew this, but I didn’t.

The Mennonites have historically been known as the “peace church.”

As a rambling aside, that may be true, but they had some mean and tough football players on the Trojans while I played for the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs.

Back deftly to George Dyck. He is a retired high school teacher, math and auto mechanics, and is now a very serious and knowledgeable history buff.

He splits his time between here and Birtle, Man., for family reasons. Classic Canadian prairie land, right near the border with Saskatchewan. And he does much charitable work helping out the good and brave people in Ukraine.

Almost all that I know about the Mennonite story is because of George. Not surprisingly, he is a patient and interesting teacher. Never condescending, he answers my questions, often subtly adding a little bit of extra information.

Let me offer a very brief sampling and, while confused, I hope I am accurate.

(With apologies to my pal and teacher George. Any mistakes are my fault.)

Late in the 15th century, many Mennonites moved to Poland. Late in the 18th century, Catherine the Great and later the Russian Revolution. In 1919, after the First World War, many of the Dutch moved to Prussia, and started speaking German. Some were sent to Siberia, and in 1948, many came to Canada. George was born here in 1950.

Confused? I was too. I hope this brief rambling leads to further historic research by someone who can clearly explain the not-that-long-ago history of the Mennonite immigration waves to Niagara and Canada.

From what I understand, hopefully accurately, for some years the Conservative government didn’t allow Mennonites to immigrate to Canada. I am obviously rambling without any real direction, which may be as it should be. Occasionally.

Perhaps a professional journalist will take up the challenge of explaining the Mennonite immigration story as it relates to the Niagara region.

Such an influential group of Niagara citizens, who have had such an impact.

A very partial list of family names: Reimer, Neufeld, Wiens, Bergen, Klassen, Janzen, Enns, Derksen, Epp, Lepp and more. And more.

And they have all arrived in Niagara, not that long ago.

Now this has been an unusual Ross’s Ramblings, wouldn’t you say?

Stay tuned.