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Date: September 4th 1974
To
Kenn Doerksen
From
Susan, Tonia, and Cameron Doerksen - (wife & children)
Letter

Wednesday 4 Sept.

Dearest Susan, Tonia and Cameron,

Mail service here is quite sporadic and I have not received a letter for about 6 days...the one which you wrote after getting my first one. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Hope mine are getting there. I am pleased that the kids have been so good at Kelowna. How is your new school, Tonia? I guess Cameron will miss you while you are at school, but I guess she will find something to do.

You needn’t worry about my job, Sue. We are quite careful and we find both sides quite respectful and helpful to the UN (except during the fighting). It is still the most rewarding job on the island at the moment. We work long hours but the variety makes it palatable...personnel problems, refugees, getting businesses and factories going again, carrying mail, etc. I am presently trying to negotiate several exchanges of prisoners/refugees and also of animals, documents, etc. I find the Turks generally easier to deal with because they are much more straightforward. I suspect that the Greeks probably deserved much of what they got.

On Monday, J.P. Hill, Al Morrow and I went to Dakhelia (British base) with Al’s and my drivers and jeeps. We stayed at one of the regimental messes, swam at their beach club and spent the evening getting drunk (sort of ) at their mess. We drove back in time for work the next morning. It was a pleasant change, but far too short. We plan to go again next week.

Otherwise, we swim in the hotel pool (recently cleared of mortar shells and filled), play volleyball or mini-golf (with a Greek platoon watching at one end and a Turk platoon at the other – they get a real kick out of ) and watching the evening movie. Last night we went out to the Hilton for drinks...it’s filled with reporters and one of them (Canadian) bought all our drinks.

I am considering having a suit made here...a top quality tailor-made suit costs under $90. Would you mind. Hope your finances are working out OK. I think I can live on my UN pay as things are all quite reasonable...my bar bill is probably the major item (and it’s not very big). Have finished “QB VII” and “Slaughterhouse five” and will start on “Implosion Conspiracy” tonight. Will send postcards to kids tomorrow.

Keep writing...your letters are the high light of my life, here. I miss you all terribly and love you all.

Kenn
XXXXXX

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Original Scans