Jacobus Leendert de Looff was born on 24 June 1924 in Wissenkerke, on the Zeeland island of Noord-Beveland. He was the son of Jacob de Looff, who worked as a farm labourer, and Janna van der Moere.
He grew up in Zeeland during the interwar period and experienced the Second World War as a teenager. No further information has yet been found about his childhood, education or employment in the Netherlands.
In July 1950, Jacobus emigrated to Australia. According to the available family information, he departed from Schiphol Airport on 22 July 1950 and arrived in Sydney on 27 July. He occupied seat A1 on the flight and was 26 years old. His departure marked the beginning of a new life far from his birthplace in Zeeland.
After arriving, Jacobus settled in Australia and became an Australian citizen. The date of his naturalisation, his occupation, any marriage and further details about his family remain to be established through additional archival research.
Jacobus Leendert de Looff died in Merrimac, Queensland, on 27 October 2010, aged 86.
His life story connects the Zeeland village of Wissenkerke with post-war Australia, where he established a new life. Further research in Dutch emigration records, Australian immigration and naturalisation files, and local archives may reveal more about his experiences and family history.
This account is based on family-history and migration research undertaken by Fred Stuy.
Related DACC research
Read the broader story of the organised migration in From Sliedrecht to Williamstown: Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia.
For related personal stories, migration accounts and company histories, visit the Dutch Dredging in Australia Research Portal.
