Jan Cornelis Maasland was born in Brandwijk, South Holland, on 17 March 1926. He was the son of Gerrit Maasland, born in Molenaarsgraaf in 1891, and Clara de Ruijter, born in Bleskensgraaf en Hofwegen in 1896.
On 22 July 1950, Jan departed from Schiphol aboard the KLM flight carrying Dutch workers and family members to Australia. He occupied seat F4 and arrived in Sydney on 26 July. His inclusion in the flight records places him among the Dutch migrants associated with the organised dredging project centred on Williamstown.
Jan was recorded as a plant operator, operating industrial machinery or installations. Although the available information does not identify his employer or workplace, his occupation suggests that he possessed the practical industrial skills sought by Australian employers during the post-war period.
After settling in Australia, Jan married Gloria Maud Levett. On 26 January 1962, he became an Australian citizen. His naturalisation record gives his address as 69 Bridges Street, Kurnell, near Sydney.
Jan nevertheless maintained a connection with the Netherlands. He returned there on leave and arrived back in Sydney aboard a KLM flight on 10 December 1965. His life, which extended from 1926 to 1978, reflects the experiences of Dutch migrants who travelled to Australia through organised employment schemes and subsequently established permanent lives and families there.
This account is based on family-history and migration research undertaken by Fred Stuij. Source document: National Archives of Australia.
For the wider history of this organised migration project, see From Sliedrecht to Williamstown: Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia.
More related company histories, archival sources and personal stories are available through the Dutch Dredging in Australia Research Portal.
