The podcast JOS is an introspective exploration of Nienke Teunissen’s quest to uncover the life of her grandfather, Jos Teunissen, who passed away long before she was born. In 1956, at the age of 24, Jos and his wife Josee (who was then 19 years old) migrated to Australia on the Zuiderkruis. They lived in Australia for about ten years but after a car accident, decided to move back to the Netherlands in 1965.
Growing up in the Netherlands in the 2000s, Jos’ granddaughter Nienke had heard of her grandfather through family stories and had seen photographs of him, yet his premature death and distant connection left him shrouded in mystery.
For her journalism degree, Nienke decided to begin a podcast about her grandfather. Titled JOS, after her grandfather, the podcast delves into the Teunissen family’s migration story from the Netherlands to Australia in the 1950s, and the series of tragic events that reshaped Jos and Josee’s lives. Through archival documents, photos, and interviews, Nienke traces Jos’ dreams of a better life in Australia, the turning point of a devastating car accident, and later the loss of his family. The podcast (in Dutch) reflects on how this journey shaped Nienke’s understanding of her own identity, as well as her father’s longing to reconnect with a father he never knew. This reflection emphasises the power of roots and how understanding the past helps define one’s present.
Source: National Archives Australia
Below are two immigration publicity photos from the Australian government, featuring the Teunissen family in Australia:
Immigration Department’s publicity campaign
By the 1960s the Immigration Department’s publicity campaign to attract migrants to Australia was in full swing.
Initially migrants from the United Kingdom were the focus of the campaigns. As interest from the UK waned, the campaigns expanded to include northern European countries.
The Dutch were considered highly desirable migrants as it was assumed that they would ‘assimilate’ into Australian life easily and happily.
The images above come from a set of photographs used by the Australian Immigration Department as part of its campaign to attract Dutch migrants to settle in Australia in the 1960s. The photographs highlight plentiful food, modern conveniences in new Australian homes, and a healthy lifestyle in wide open spaces.
