Dutch migrants seek to establish a community in Kingston
In September 1950, two Dutch migrants, Eerke van der Laan and Egbert (Eb) Pinkster, appeared before Kingborough Council in southern Tasmania to discuss plans for a Dutch settlement at Kingston.
The two men represented a group of migrants from Groningen in the Netherlands who had decided to establish a building enterprise and begin new lives in Australia. Their undertaking eventually became associated with the settlement known as Little Groningen.
The council meeting of 11 September 1950 provides a revealing contemporary record of the practical challenges facing the migrants, the assistance offered by local Australians and prevailing attitudes towards immigration.
Finding land for the settlement
Van der Laan and Pinkster had arrived in Tasmania earlier in 1950 to investigate employment and housing opportunities for the families who intended to follow them.
They found work in Kingston, where they became aware of the considerable demand for housing. Through contacts at the local Presbyterian Church, they met the Geard family, who offered to sell approximately five acres of land.
The migrants calculated that subdivision of the property could provide building blocks at approximately £40 each, considerably below the £110 being asked for other available blocks in the area.
The land offered an opportunity to establish homes and workshops close together, allowing the migrants to combine employment, housing and community development.
The name Little Groningen was suggested by the landowner, Geard.
The council meeting of 11 September 1950
The proposed subdivision required the cooperation of Kingborough Council.
Van der Laan and Pinkster attended the council meeting to explain their plans and seek assistance with the practical requirements of the development.
The principal obstacles were the construction of a road and the provision of a reliable water supply.
The council required a bank guarantee for road construction. This represented a substantial additional financial burden for the migrants, whose plans depended on keeping the cost of land and housing as low as possible.
Van der Laan suggested that the first ten houses might be approved, allowing the settlers to undertake road construction themselves as the development progressed.
Councillors expressed sympathy for the proposal but explained that existing infrastructure commitments, including works at Blackmans Bay and Margate Road, limited what the council could immediately provide.
The council agreed to facilitate temporary building permits, while the infrastructure questions remained unresolved.
Australian attitudes towards Dutch migration
The minutes also provide insight into Australian attitudes towards European migration in 1950.
Several councillors expressed support for the Dutch settlers, particularly because of their reputation as skilled and industrious workers.
Councillor Crane indicated that workers were needed and that he could potentially employ several migrant families.
However, the discussion also reflected the racial assumptions embedded in Australian immigration policy at the time.
Councillor Bylett expressed support for the Dutch migrants in terms that explicitly referred to maintaining a white Australia.
This statement illustrates how favourable attitudes towards Dutch immigration could coexist with the racial discrimination of Australia’s immigration system.
The minutes are therefore valuable not only as a record of local development but also as evidence of the social and political environment encountered by post-war European migrants.
The beginnings of Little Groningen
Despite the practical difficulties, the Dutch migrants proceeded with their plans.
The settlement became associated with the Australian Building Corporation, the enterprise established by members of the original migration group.
Little Groningen subsequently developed into an important centre of Dutch community life in southern Tasmania, closely associated with the Reformed Church, Christian education and a network of families and businesses.
The road connecting the settlement with Browns Road was later renamed Groningen Road, preserving the association with the migrants’ province of origin.
Historical significance
The council meeting of September 1950 captures a formative moment in the development of Little Groningen.
It demonstrates that the settlement was not simply the result of individual migration decisions. It involved organised cooperation among Dutch families, assistance from local residents, negotiations with government and considerable personal initiative.
The council minutes also provide a contemporary documentary source against which later recollections of the settlement can be examined.
Sources and further reading
- Research Portal – Little Groningen – Dutch migration, faith and community in Kingston, Tasmania
- Kees Wierenga, Dutch Migration to Tasmania in 1950: Motivation, Intention and Assimilation, University of Tasmania, 2005.
- Kingborough Council Minutes, 11 September 1950, Archives Office of Tasmania, MCC 19/19, p. 443, as cited by Kees Wierenga.
- The Mercury, 12 September 1950, p. 4, cited in Wierenga’s thesis.
- Kees Wierenga, Little Groningen – Tasmania, Dutch Australian Cultural Centre.
This article draws on historical research by Kees Wierenga, whose Tasmanian research collection was entrusted to the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre.
