Early life and wartime experiences
Jan Thomas Steen was born on 30 August 1912 in Groningen, the Netherlands. Before emigrating to Australia, he worked as a municipal official and lived in Van Heemskerckstraat in Groningen.
During the German occupation of the Netherlands, Steen was involved in the Dutch Resistance. According to historian Kees Wierenga, he was known by the Resistance name Tom.
His position as a registrar provided opportunities to assist people threatened by the occupying authorities. He destroyed civil registration records, making it more difficult for the Gestapo to identify and trace individuals. He also participated in the theft of ration coupons, which were essential for people living in hiding.
Wierenga records that Steen believed his Resistance activities had placed him in continuing danger. According to the recollections preserved in his research, Steen remained concerned about possible retaliation long after the war and carried a pistol for personal protection.
Migration to Tasmania in 1950
Following the war, Steen joined a group of men from Groningen who planned to emigrate to Tasmania.
The group, subsequently known as the Groningen Seven, shared wartime experiences and connections through the Dutch Reformed community. Their objective was to establish a building enterprise that would provide employment and housing for the participating families.
Steen was 37 when the migration project began in 1950. He and his wife had three young children, aged approximately three to seven.
The migrants established the Australian Building Corporation at Kingston, south of Hobart. Through their building activities, they contributed to the development of the settlement that became known as Little Groningen.
The community gradually expanded beyond its original building enterprise, establishing churches, schools and other organisations.
Community life in Kingston
An insight into Steen’s participation in the early Dutch community is provided by the programme for the 25th wedding anniversary of Eerke and Toni van der Laan, celebrated at Kingston on 12 November 1954.
The programme included humorous songs, sketches and performances involving members of the migrant community.
Steen appeared under the nickname Tommy Moustache, a reference to his wartime name Tom. The programme also included a humorous song performed by Tom Steen about an unfortunate injury.
Kees Wierenga’s account of the celebrations demonstrates the close relationships that developed among families who had endured wartime persecution and subsequently established new lives in Tasmania.
The anniversary was remembered as a celebration of freedom, friendship and the achievements of the early migrant community.
Historical significance
Jan Thomas Steen belonged to the founding generation of Little Groningen. His story illustrates the connection between wartime Resistance activities in the Netherlands and organised Dutch migration to Australia after 1945.
His participation in the Groningen Seven and the early Kingston community forms part of the broader history of Dutch migrants who helped establish new businesses, homes and community institutions in Tasmania.
Further information about Steen’s family, professional activities and later life in Australia would help complete his biography.
Sources and acknowledgement
This article is based principally on research by Kees Wierenga, whose historical collection was entrusted to the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre.
- Dutch Migration to Tasmania in 1950 – Motivation, Intention and Assimilation, Kees Wierenga, University of Tasmania, 2005.
- The van der Laan’s wedding anniversary in Tasmania, Kees Wierenga, including the translated anniversary programme and historical commentary.
- Little Groningen – Tasmania.
Related research
This article forms part of the DACC’s Research Portal – Little Groningen: Dutch migration, faith and community in Kingston, Tasmania.