Wartime experiences in the Netherlands
Eerke Jacob van der Laan (born 31 October 1903 in Groningen) was one of the leading figures in the organised migration of Dutch families to Kingston, Tasmania, in 1950.
Before the Second World War, he had been an accomplished gymnast. According to historian Kees Wierenga, he was invited to participate in the 1924 Olympic Games but declined because his religious convictions prevented him from competing on Sundays.
The German occupation brought much more difficult experiences. Van der Laan was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp and survived a forced march towards Lübeck Bay during the final stages of the war.
When he eventually returned home, he weighed only about 45 kilograms. His family initially struggled to recognise him.
These experiences formed part of the background to his subsequent decision to seek a new life in Australia.
Organising the migration to Tasmania
Following the war, van der Laan joined a group of men from Groningen who developed plans to migrate to Australia. They became known as the Groningen Seven.
The group intended to establish a building enterprise that would provide employment and enable the migrants to construct homes for their families.
Van der Laan’s administrative experience, knowledge of legal matters and fluency in English and German made him particularly valuable to the project.
In 1950, he and Egbert (Eb) Pinkster travelled ahead of the other migrants to investigate opportunities in Tasmania.
After exploring northern Tasmania, they travelled south towards Kingston. Having missed the morning bus from Hobart, they began walking and were offered a lift by local builder Archie Smith.
Smith provided them with employment, introduced them to useful contacts and helped them begin establishing themselves in the district.
Establishing Little Groningen
Van der Laan and Pinkster subsequently helped negotiate the acquisition and subdivision of land at Kingston.
The migrants established the Australian Building Corporation, through which they constructed homes and undertook building projects for the wider Tasmanian community.
Van der Laan contributed both organisational skills and practical labour. Kees Wierenga describes him as someone equally willing to work with building tools or help prepare a church service.
His leadership was grounded in the religious convictions shared by many of the migrants, who subsequently helped establish the Kingston Reformed Church and supported the development of Christian education.
Eerke and Toni van der Laan
Eerke’s wife, Toni Auguste Bandholz, played an important role in supporting the family and the developing migrant community.
On 12 November 1954, the Dutch community at Kingston celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
The celebration took place in the Australian Building Corporation’s second workshop. Pieter Laning organised the entertainment, which included songs, humorous performances and contributions from members of the community.
The gathering continued until five o’clock the following morning.
For people who had experienced war, persecution, displacement and migration, the occasion represented much more than a wedding anniversary. It was a celebration of survival, freedom and the new community they had established in Tasmania.
Kees Wierenga preserved the original programme, a photograph of Eerke and Toni and a detailed account of the celebrations in his article:
The van der Laan’s wedding anniversary in Tasmania – 1954
Historical significance
Eerke van der Laan was among the principal organisers of Little Groningen. His leadership helped transform the Groningen Seven’s migration plans into a functioning settlement and building enterprise.
His story illustrates the connections between wartime experiences, religious faith, organised migration and the development of Dutch-Australian communities after the Second World War.
Sources and acknowledgement
This article is based principally on the historical research of Kees Wierenga, particularly his account of the van der Laan wedding anniversary and his study Dutch Migration to Tasmania in 1950 – Motivation, Intention and Assimilation.
- The van der Laan’s wedding anniversary in Tasmania
- Dutch Migration to Tasmania in 1950 – Motivation, Intention and Assimilation
- 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.