Willem de Vroom was born in Amsterdam on 28 March 1914. He was the son of Jan de Vroom and Geesje Oord, who lived in Heiloo. Willem trained and worked as an engineer.
On 8 May 1940, Willem married Hendrina van de Water in Amsterdam. Hendrina had been born in Sloten, North Holland. Ten years after their marriage, they decided to leave the Netherlands and establish a new life in Australia.
Willem and Hendrina departed from Schiphol Airport aboard the KLM flight to Melbourne on 22 June 1950. They occupied seats H1 and H2 and, following several intermediate stops, arrived in Australia on 27 June.
Little information has yet been found about their working and family lives in Australia. However, Hendrina’s memorial describes her as a much-loved mother and grandmother, showing that the couple established a family whose Australian story continued into subsequent generations.
Willem died in Australia on 11 August 1979, aged 65. Hendrina died on 5 May 2007, aged 89. They were buried together at Lilydale Lawn Cemetery in Lilydale, Victoria. Their shared memorial records their marriage and the family life that followed their journey from the Netherlands to Australia.
Their story reflects the experience of many post-war Dutch migrants who left familiar surroundings, relatives and friends behind to establish a permanent home on the other side of the world.
This account is based on family-history and migration research undertaken by Fred Stuij.
Related DACC research
Read the broader story of the organised migration in From Sliedrecht to Williamstown: Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia.
For related personal stories, migration accounts and company histories, visit the Dutch Dredging in Australia Research Portal.
