Hotel Rantakatti

History:

Onni Kero, the old master of the farm, was born on 1st of August 1922. He has lived his whole life on an island Vaahersalo in Punkaharju. The farm on Vaahersalo was bough by Onni’s father Taavetti Kero in 1909. The old contract still exists.

Now-a-days, you can come to the island using a bridge, but earlier you had to row your boat to the island. A bit later there was a ferry that maintained by community effort of the villagers. Just before the bridge there was a motorized ferry.

Onni's and Jenny's house was build in 1918.
The name Mannila has a long history. The state was already called Mannila when Taavetti Kero bought it. Onni Kero was the second youngest child of the family. There were ten siblings in total. The oldest sister was 18 years old when Onni was born. The older siblings took care of the younger ones. The farm was very lively. In 1952 Onni was married to Jenny Kastarinen who was from Kieruvesi.

Jenny and Onni had three children. The firstborn Osmo was born in 1953. Ilkka was born in 1958 and the youngest, Eija, was born in 1960 when Onni was 38 years old.

Listen how Onni Kero tells how it was like to live as a small boy on farm in Punkarju’s Vaahersalo in the 20’s. Onni’s father Taavetti Kero (1875-1961) and his mother Selma Kero (1884-1959) were then in charge.

"You cannot even compare those days to the present day. Life was modest in every way. We were modest with clothes and with food. Sure we had food but it wasn't as various as it is today. But nobody was starving or hungry. We had our own fields so we had grain and potatoes of our own and meat and milk and all. But even then I didn't hunt. I’ve never even owned a gun."(Kero Onni).

Onni youth passed in the 30’s while studying and working in the farm. Children had their own tasks like putting pegs to hey poles when it was the hay making time.

They grew up normally as the duties on the farm got gradually more demanding. Onni was familiar with all the work in the country village at the time. All the siblings, including Onni, helped on the farm up to their abilities.

Onni’s early adulthood was spent working and raising up the siblings. Bacause the radio was only entertaiment at the time, visits to the neighbours were regular.

Listen how Onni remembers what kind work they used to do:

“5 o’clock they went to the barn. And when it was time to do the crop, they started as early as 2 o’clock. Women weaved fabrics. Men made sleds and cartwheels. In this living-room. In the light of an oil-lamp. At that time we didn’t have shingles anymore. And it wouldn’t have worked anyway. It would have smoked too much. Yes, the cartwheels. Some of them are still leaning against the barn over there. I swear that I could see one just a moment ago. At those times there were a lot of men who were travelling from one farm to another to find work and, sure, the neighbours helped too. Yes. At fall they made firewood. There were all sorts of workers. The shoemakers came to make shoes and tailors came to make clothes. In this village we had this man who used to make basket out of shingles” (Onni Kero).

The farm was given to the oldest son, Osmo, in 1983. Osmo continues the tradition of Mannila as a owner of a farm travel company that he found in the beginning of the 1990’s. Nowadays Osmo's children Jani 22 and Jenni 20 share the ownership of the company with Osmo. Onni and Jenny are still involved with the everyday life of Mannila. They take care of the animals, do laundry and chat with the customers in their spare time.

Good health and healthy lifestyles work and rest in the right proportions have guaranteed them a rich life. Onni has time to talk and regular naps increase the quality of his life.

Onni and Jenny have five grandchildren:
Osmo’s children Jani and Jenni and Eija’s children Maria, Aino and Ville.