Cornelia Hendrika (CORA, CORRIE) VERBRUGH

- by Michael Roboz

Born: Rotterdam, June 6, 1917
Died: Vancouver, April 28, 2010

Cora was born during the First World War in Rotterdam, Holland. During World War Two, she was a courier for the Dutch Resistance Movement. She moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1946.
She worked for a long time as a secretary in the Planning Department at Vancouver General Hospital. Following VGH, she was a secretary in the President’s Office at the University of British Columbia, until retirement. I was attending UBC at the time and visited her there many times. Cora was also a partner in the import/export firm of Bill Steuyavelt’s South-West Imports.
In Rotterdam, she had worked for the Mayor’s office. When the Germans took over, she worked for them. But, also against them. She had rescued many Jews and still had some possessions of some of them who never came back. She moved out from home in order to prevent danger to her family. She had a boyfriend, a Dutchman, who was in the RAF. He was shot down over the English Channel. Cora received a medal for her Resistance work by the Dutch Queen after the war.
When Steven Roboz advertised in the Vancouver Sun for the first Wednesday Anthroposophical Study Group meeting, Cora answered the ad. That was in fall of 1956. Cora had known about Anthroposophy back in Holland, but only became active through Steven and became a very active contributor to the Wednesday Study Group. Cora was the first Treasurer of both the Rudolf Steiner Centre Association and the Anthroposophical Society in Canada, Vancouver Branch.
Cora had a huge collection, spanning 60 years, of English, German and Dutch anthroposophical books. She was very meticulous and kept all the newsletters from Canadian, American, Dutch Societies; Das Goetheanum, Aurore, Cascadia Society, and the RSCA. Some of the material goes back to the 1950s. In many of her books that she worked with, she enclosed relevant articles, newsletters, and any other references to that subject. Many subject folders with her many research interests.
She will be missed in our Anthroposophical Community and in her long-time Kitsilano neighbourhood.

Michael Roboz
North Vancouver, May, 2010