Egbert Adriaan van der Sluijs, known as Bert, was born in Sliedrecht on 20 September 1892. He was the son of Johannes Abraham “Jan” van der Sluijs and Sija Helena “Sij” de Lint.
Bert had a varied working life. He worked as an engineer on dredging projects and as a pipefitter for the Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij on Curaçao. He also briefly operated a shoe shop and repair business in Sliedrecht with his youngest brother before returning to Curaçao. A photograph received by his family in Sliedrecht in July 1929 shows him there in a white tropical suit.
On 9 December 1920, Bert married Tanneke Jacoba Jetje “Tannetje” van der Goot in Breskens. They had two children: Jeannette Catholine Maria “Netty” van der Sluijs, born in 1921, and Johannes Abraham “Jan” van der Sluijs, born in 1923. The marriage was formally dissolved in 1926.
Bert married his cousin Alida Teunia “Alie” Kerkhoff in Rotterdam on 1 September 1937. Their mothers were sisters. The couple later separated, and the marriage was formally dissolved in Rotterdam on 27 February 1953.
At the age of 57, Bert departed from Schiphol for Melbourne on the organised KLM flight of 22 June 1950. He was recorded as an engineer and occupied seat H3. His surname appeared in the passenger records with a “y” instead of the Dutch “ij”, possibly to make it easier to use outside the Netherlands.
Family recollections provide a clear explanation for his journey. Bert told his relatives that he could earn “double pencil” in Australia, meaning that his working hours would be paid at twice the usual rate. He regarded the Australian assignment as his final dredging job and always intended to return to the Netherlands, where his children and grandchildren lived.
The precise date of his return has not yet been established, but family memories indicate that he was living in The Hague again by 1953. In his later years, he operated a tobacconist’s shop with his daughter. Nevertheless, his death certificate continued to record his occupation as engineer.
Bert died in The Hague on 10 December 1960, aged 68. His story differs from those of the younger workers who used the Australian project as an opportunity to settle permanently. For Bert, Australia was a well-paid final overseas assignment in a long working life that had already taken him from Sliedrecht to Curaçao and possibly other countries.
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.
Photographs: E.A. “Bert” van der Sluijs, Lelystad. Archival source: National Archives of Australia.
For the wider history of this organised migration project, see From Sliedrecht to Williamstown: Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia.
More related company histories, archival sources and personal stories are available through the Dutch Dredging in Australia Research Portal.
