On May 8, 1945, jubilant Norwegians took to the streets to celebrate the liberation of their country from Nazi oppressors.

Fifty-three years to the day later, a Norwegian couple found themselves reminiscing over the momentous occasion at Muskoka’s own Little Norway.

“I was eight years old but I remember it vividly,” said Erik Hornnaess while perusing the old military photographs and memorabilia in the Little Norway Memorial Terminal at Muskoka Airport. “I remember the first thing that everyone did was to tear down their blinds and put fire to them in the street. All of the homes had blinds in the windows to block out the light so the bombers couldn’t see them. We had been putting those blinds up and down for five years and we were sick of it. We burned them right in front of the Germans.”

Erik’s wife Winnie was also a child at the time, but she vividly recalls the events surrounding the Norwegian liberation.

American soldiers came streaming into her hometown aboard large trucks and handed out chocolate to the children, many of whom had never tasted the treat while growing up in an occupied country.

“It’s one of the first memories I have of being really happy,” said Winnie.

The couple recently travelled from their home in Oslo to visit their daughter and grandchildren in New York City. While in North America they decided to pay a visit to their old friends Mary and Don McFarlane, who live in Bracebridge and were their neighbours when they lived in Mississauga more than 30 years ago.

On a rainy Thursday last week, the McFarlanes suggested they visit the Little Norway Memorial Terminal, which opened with much fanfare last September.

The displays and exhibits commemorate the lives and sacrifices of the Norwegians who trained as pilots in Muskoka during the Second World War.

The Hornnaesses had no idea the memorial even existed until that very day, but Winnie is well aware of the history of Little Norway. Her uncle, Fredrik Lie Vogt was a member of the Norwegian United Army and Naval Air Command, and was at Little Norway during the time of its inception in 1942.

Unfortunately, Lie Vogt was killed shortly thereafter when the convoy he was travelling in was attacked in the Atlantic en route to deliver supplies to Europe.

“We have good and proud memories of him,” said Winnie.

While Lie Vogt was furthering the cause in Muskoka, back in Norway his wife was heavily involved in the underground resistance movement.

“There was a lot of counter-espionage in Norway, and everyone used codes names,” said Erik. “She kept the complete archive of those codes names in her basement during the war.”

The house was also used as a centre for resistance activities. Members would be led blindfolded to the house, so they did not know the location, and would then discuss plans to hinder the German army.

During one of the sessions, a young saboteur became enamored with Lie Vogt’s daughter, and eventually asked for her hand in marriage.

“One of the spies married my cousin . . . after coming to the house blindfolded,” said Winnie with a laugh. “She is still alive and she lives in that house.”

Winnie soon discovered she wasn’t the only one with ties to Little Norway.

“In Norway I golf every Tuesday with about 20 friends,” said Erik. “One of those men is Per Waaler. I knew he had been here, but then I found several pictures of him. I’ll show him the pictures when I get back and see if he recognizes this place and himself.”

Reading from her entry in the terminal’s guest book, Winnie said the building is a fitting tribute.

“This is a wonderful building in memory of the wonderful people who defended our country, Norway, during World War II. We have been deeply moved.”