Origins in the Kingston Dutch community
Christian Homes Tasmania traces its origins to 1970, when individual members of the Christian Reformed Church in Kingston began considering how they could provide suitable accommodation and care for their ageing parents.
Many of these families belonged to the Dutch migrant community that had developed around Little Groningen following the first organised migration from Groningen in 1950.
By the 1970s, the needs of the community were changing. The original migrants were growing older, and some had elderly parents who had joined them from the Netherlands.
The desire to provide accommodation within a supportive Christian environment led to the establishment of an organisation that would eventually become a significant Tasmanian aged care provider.
Establishment of the association
In 1972, a private members’ association was incorporated under the name Association for Christian Homes for the Aged.
Gerry Verdouw of Kingston was elected its first president.
The association was initiated by individual members of the Christian Reformed community rather than established as an institution of the church itself. Its services were intended to benefit the wider community.
The initiative reflected the importance that many Dutch Reformed migrants placed on practical community service, mutual assistance and care for older people.
An early contribution came from Reg Doedens, a Dutch migrant businessman who had become involved in building and property development at Kingston. His family history records that at least eight blocks of land in Denison Street were provided to the Association for Christian Homes for the Aged and the Reformed Church.
The first housing developments
The association’s first development was Denison Court in Kingston, where accommodation units were constructed in 1974.
Four years later, in 1978, twelve townhouses were completed at Wells Court in Blackmans Bay.
These projects provided independent accommodation for older residents and established the foundations for further expansion.
The association’s development was closely connected with the skills, resources and voluntary contributions available within the local community.
Expansion into residential aged care
During the following decades, the organisation expanded from independent housing into residential aged care and support services.
In 1989, Hawthorn Village at Blackmans Bay was established as a hostel. It subsequently developed into a residential aged care facility.
Further independent living accommodation was constructed at Freeman Court in Kingston in 1998.
Home care services commenced in 1999, extending support to people living in their own homes.
The first independent living units at Snug Village were built in 2000, followed by a residential aged care facility in 2002.
Additional developments in Kingston, Snug and other parts of southern Tasmania gradually expanded the organisation’s services.
From migrant initiative to Tasmanian institution
The organisation subsequently adopted the name Christian Homes Tasmania.
Although its origins lay in the Dutch Reformed community at Kingston, its services developed to meet the needs of the wider Tasmanian population.
The organisation now provides residential aged care, independent living accommodation and support for older people living at home.
Its facilities include Hawthorn Village at Blackmans Bay and Snug Village, together with independent living communities and home care services.
Christian Homes Tasmania remains a registered aged care provider, operating within Australia’s regulated aged care system.
A continuing connection with Dutch migration
The organisation’s history illustrates how Dutch migrant initiatives became integrated into the wider Australian community.
The original Little Groningen settlers had concentrated on establishing employment, housing, churches and schools. The next generation increasingly became involved in community services, including accommodation and care for older people.
The contribution of Gerry Verdouw, Reg Doedens and other members of Kingston’s Dutch Reformed community demonstrates how migrant networks and voluntary cooperation helped establish institutions that continued well beyond the original settlement.
Gerry’s brother Dirk Verdouw also contributed to the development of Kingston through his work in the building industry, voluntary assistance with the construction of Calvin School and other community activities. His personal recollections, published by Christian Homes Tasmania, provide an account of Dutch migrant life in Kingston during the post-war decades. Read Dirk Verdouw’s story.
Christian Homes Tasmania provides a lasting example of this contribution.
Sources and acknowledgement
- Christian Homes Tasmania – Our history, including the organisation’s development chronology from 1970 onwards.
- Christian Homes Tasmania – Official website.
- Reg Doedens – A life of faith, resilience and community, including the contribution of land to the aged care association.
- Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, by Kees Wierenga.
- Shaping Kingston – The story of God’s children in Kingston, Kees Wierenga, 2019.
- Christian Homes Tasmania – Australian Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
This article acknowledges the historical research of Kees Wierenga and the collection assembled with Irene Wierenga, which documents the contribution of Dutch migrants to the Kingston community.
Related research
This article forms part of the DACC’s Research Portal – Little Groningen: Dutch migration, faith and community in Kingston, Tasmania.
