«Canadian Surprises» in the Odesa Sea Port
As part of the project «Incredible Port»
In the late 1940s, when the country was still recovering from the devastation of war, ships from Canada began to arrive at the Odesa Sea Port loaded with industrial equipment.
During the unloading of these vessels, one of the port’s best storekeepers, Valentyn Volchek**, noticed some strange transformations taking place among the dockworkers. For instance, a worker would start his shift in worn-out boots but return home in brand-new shoes. Another would suddenly appear wearing a fashionable jacket and carrying a package of canned goods in his hands.
Those times were really hard. The country, exhausted by the invasion of Hitler, was suffering from devastation and shortages. Therefore, the dockworkers’ unusual «affection» for the Canadian machinery quickly drew the attention of not only the port management.
Later, the competent authorities discovered that among the crates of equipment, the workers were finding packages with clothes and food. These “surprises” had been placed there by Canadian dockers. They were well aware of the postwar difficulties in the USSR and, in their own way, tried to support their fellow worker — the port laborer.
* Valentyn Yosypovych Volchek — a veteran of the Odesa Sea Port. Work experience – 56 years.
He joined the port in December 1944. Despite a physical disability (he lost an arm in his childhood), he quickly understood professions related to ship handling at the berths. For 35 years, he worked as a stevedore.
He took part in organizing the dispatch of humanitarian aid to victims of the earthquake and flood in Italy (1947), as well as in receiving convoys of ships carrying Canadian and American grain, among other missions.
He was awarded several state honors. In addition, V. Volchek was well known and respected in Odesa as a collector of historical rarities — old newspapers, books, and postcards.
