Dirk Groen was born in IJmuiden on 26 May 1927. He was the son of fisherman Dirk Groen (1896–1977) and Rachel Zwart (1892–1976). His last recorded address in IJmuiden was Bloemstraat 84.
Before and during the Second World War, Dirk worked as a factory labourer for several companies in Amsterdam. He was later employed as a seaman by the Amsterdam shipping company De Boer until 1 January 1945. During the German occupation, he was arrested and transported to Germany.
Dirk subsequently served in the Dutch merchant navy. While aboard the Trompenberg, he survived a shipwreck off the Swedish coast. No lives were lost, although the vessel itself was lost. He also completed his national service with the Royal Netherlands Navy and worked briefly for the Dutch Pilotage Service.
On 22 July 1950, Dirk departed for Australia aboard the KLM flight carrying Dutch dredging workers and their families. He was unmarried, occupied seat D4 and was recorded as a “sailor on a Dutch dredger”. In Australia, he worked for Australian Dredging and General Works Pty Ltd, the company established to undertake major dredging operations in Victoria.
On 3 November 1951, Dirk married Betty Blaker in Williamstown. Betty had been born in Williamstown on 19 November 1926. She died there on 10 August 2022.
Dirk maintained connections with the Netherlands and made several later journeys between the two countries. On 10 March 1956, he travelled to Australia aboard the SS Himalaya. He again departed from the Netherlands on 10 November 1959, this time aboard the SS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, bound for Melbourne.
Dirk Groen died on 13 October 2025 at a retirement village in Altona, on Port Phillip Bay. His life encompassed wartime upheaval, service at sea, the organised migration of Dutch dredging workers and more than seven decades in Australia.
Additional information was provided by Chris de Rijk of Velserbroek. Archival documentation was obtained from the National Archives of Australia.
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.
