The history of Dutch migration to Brisbane after the Second World War was shaped not only by organised migration schemes and housing initiatives, but also by personal encounters, community networks and the determination of migrant families to build a new life. The story of Fred and Marie van Breemen reflects these wider experiences. Their lives link wartime service, redirected migration plans, rural settlement, entrepreneurship and the remarkable continuity of one of the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plains.
From Breda to Brisbane
Fred van Breemen was born in Breda in 1938 into a Catholic family. His father had served as a military commander during the Second World War and was later deployed to Indonesia in 1946 as part of the Dutch military operations aimed at suppressing the Indonesian struggle for independence. He returned to the Netherlands in 1948.
In the difficult economic circumstances of the post-war years, the van Breemen family decided to emigrate. In 1954 they were selected for migration to Canada. Preparations were well advanced when, only two weeks before departure, they were informed that their destination had been changed to Australia. Such sudden changes were not uncommon in migration schemes of the period.
After arriving in Fremantle, the family was allocated to a group of migrants bound for Brisbane. They spent approximately eight months at the Wacol Migration Camp while planning their future.
Building a life at Rochedale
During their time at Wacol the van Breemens purchased land at Rochedale, then a largely rural area near Mount Gravatt. Housing shortages and limited financial resources meant that their first dwelling was constructed from shipping crates. This improvised structure provided essential shelter while they worked towards building a more permanent home nearby.
Fred’s father later found employment with the Dutch company involved in constructing the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plains. This connection would prove significant in shaping the family’s later ties to Brisbane’s Dutch community.
Fred himself began working as a motor mechanic. Through his trade he came into contact with Jan Wolters, who would later establish Motorama. Over his long working life Fred remained closely associated with the motor industry, working with the Wolters family as well as operating his own business. His career reflects the broader contribution of Dutch migrants to Queensland’s technical trades and small-business sector.
Dutch community life and meeting Marie
Social life within the Dutch Catholic community played an important role in the lives of young migrants. Through Father Norris, who was helping to organise Dutch dances and gatherings in Kangaroo Point, Fred became involved in community activities. Although initially reluctant to attend, he was encouraged by his mother to go.
Because he owned a car, Father Norris asked him at the end of the evening to drive two young girls home after a dance. These girls were Marie Bakker, then sixteen, and her younger sister Elizabeth. At that time the Bakker family were living in one of the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plains.
On a later occasion, after again driving the girls home, Fred was invited inside as a gesture of thanks for coffee and cake. Marie’s mother immediately took a liking to him. Fred’s willingness to help Marie’s father with mechanical repairs further strengthened the bond between them and gradually deepened the connection between the two families. Despite an age difference of eight years, a relationship developed between Fred and Marie.
Marriage and early family life
When Dutch friends, the Koster family, returned temporarily to the Netherlands in 1966, they offered Fred and Marie the opportunity to stay in their house if they decided to marry. This provided the couple with a valuable starting point. They later moved to a house in Woodridge, which became central to their early family life.
In 1970 tragedy struck when Marie’s mother died in a car accident. At that time four of the six Bakker children were still living at home. Two years later Marie’s father remarried and moved out of the Dutch House in Coopers Plains.
Taking over the Dutch house
Fred and Marie then decided to take over the Dutch House from her parents. Over the years they renovated and modernised the property while retaining its original structural character. Their youngest child, Steve, was later born while the family was living there, while their other children had been born earlier in Salisbury and Woodridge.
The Dutch Houses themselves formed an important part of the post-war Dutch migration story in Brisbane. Built in the early 1950s with Dutch design features and partly using imported materials, they provided stability and a sense of community for newly arrived families. For Fred and Marie, living in the house first occupied by Marie’s parents represented a powerful link between wartime survival, migration and settlement.
A lasting legacy
As of 2026 the Dutch House at 27 Macgroarty Street remains in family hands. This remarkable continuity across generations illustrates how migrant families transformed temporary beginnings — in migration camps, improvised rural housing and shared accommodation — into lasting roots in Queensland.
The story of Fred and Marie van Breemen shows how migration was shaped not only by government policy but also by human relationships, practical skills, community support and resilience. Their lives form an important chapter in the broader history of Dutch settlement in Brisbane.
Interviewed by Paul Budde, 16 March 2026
