Abraham Dubbelman was born on 25 September 1926. His birthplace and the names of his parents have not yet been established.
The surviving passenger information places Abraham aboard a KLM flight to Sydney in 1950. His name appears beside seat E4 on the hand-drawn aircraft seating plan. The flight formed part of the organised movement of Dutch workers associated with the Australian dredging project.
Abraham trained or worked as an engineer and subsequently became an Australian citizen. He established his life in South Australia and was recorded as living at 10 Arabella Street, Nailsworth.
In Australia, Abraham met Patience Havilah Edwards, who had been born in Wales on 24 September 1926—one day before Abraham. They married in 1954, although the exact date and place have not yet been located.
Passenger records show that Patience travelled from the Netherlands to Sydney in 1955. She was already an Australian citizen and married to Abraham. The reason for her stay in the Netherlands is not known, although she may have been returning from a visit to Europe.
Their only child, Abigail Vivienne Dubbelman, was born in Australia on 30 October 1960. In November 1987, Abigail married Geoffrey Hugh Davis, the son of H. G. Davis of Bayview. A son was born to the couple in Adelaide in 1990.
The family maintained links with the Netherlands. Abraham visited his country of birth in 1966 and returned to Sydney by air on 12 January 1967. Abigail also visited the Netherlands as a child. After a stay of approximately fourteen days, she arrived back in Australia on 30 January 1972 at the age of eleven.
Patience died at Longueville on 23 February 1982 and was cremated three days later. Abraham also died at Longueville, in May 1987.
Further research may establish Abraham’s birthplace, the names of his parents, Patience’s family background and the precise details of their marriage. These missing details would help complete the history of a family whose Dutch and Welsh origins became part of Australia’s post-war migration story.
This article was prepared with the assistance of Kees van der Sluijs and Fred Stuij of the Sliedrecht Historical Society.
For genealogical information and research, see Fred Stuij’s website: Alblasserwaard Genealogy.
