Adriana Zevenbergen, Australia’s 100,000th Dutch migrant, excited to start unpacking after arriving in Melbourne, 1958. The 50,000th Dutch migrant arrived had arrived in 1954.
She, along with her husband Cornelis and their two young sons, Kees and Addo, migrated to Australia under the Netherlands Australia Migration Agreement. Years earlier, the couple had dreamed of moving to Australia but postponed their plans until receiving encouragement from a childhood friend already settled in Newcastle, New South Wales. With Cornelis’ skills as an engineering fitter and Adriana’s role as a dedicated housewife, the Zevenbergens were considered the ideal migrant family by Australian authorities.
Adriana’s milestone status as the 100,000th Dutch migrant to Australia was celebrated with much fanfare. The family’s journey from the Netherlands to Melbourne’s Station Pier was widely publicised to promote Australia’s migration programs. Upon arrival, they were treated to formal receptions, media attention, and gifts, including a new fridge and washing machine to ease their settlement. Adriana embraced her newfound celebrity, a memory her son Addo fondly recounts.
Settling in Geelong, Victoria, the Zevenbergens built a brick home designed by Cornelis. Their semi-rural upbringing provided the children with an idyllic childhood filled with outdoor exploration. A third son, Ricky, was born in 1963. Cornelis passed away in 1983, but Adriana remained in their Geelong home, which had been expanded in the 1970s, until her death in 2006 at the age of 75.
Picture: NAA: A12111, 1/1958/4/80
Adri Zevenbergen National Archive Australia
See also:
Netherlands Australia Migration Agreement – 1951
Dutch immigrant ships to Australia
Dutch Migrants at Bonegilla Migrant Camp – Victoria
Wacol (Brisbane) Remembered 1949-1987
Other Migration history on the DACC database, including personal stories
