By Wendy Walker-Birckhead
This ethnographic study by Wendy Walker-Birckhead explores the lived experiences, health perceptions, and lifestyle practices of older Dutch migrants in Australia. The chapter draws from qualitative interviews with 19 Dutch-Australians—11 first-generation migrants and 8 adult children—to understand how migration, cultural identity, and ageing intersect in later life. Organised thematically, the chapter examines everyday domains like work, housing, food, memory, medical care, and family dynamics, offering a poignant portrait of endurance, meaning-making, and resilience in old age.
Research Context and Demographics
The study is part of a broader project on ageing, health, and independence among non-English-speaking migrant communities. Dutch migrants, often overlooked due to their ‘successful assimilation,’ form a distinct group: healthy on average (due to Australia’s selective immigration policies), yet increasingly vulnerable due to English language attrition and cultural isolation in old age. Interviews were conducted mainly through Dutch clubs and informal networks. Most participants were working-class, arrived in the 1950s post-war migration boom, and are now in their 60s and 70s.
Work and Health
Despite being relatively young (in their 60s), two-thirds of the older Dutch migrants described their health as “fair to poor,” citing chronic pain, arthritis, heart conditions, and emotional strain. Many link these issues to a life of physically demanding labour, aligned with the Dutch postwar ethic of hard work and self-sufficiency. They frequently view their deteriorated health as the literal cost of migration—a physical sacrifice made to secure a future for their children. Nevertheless, a strong ethic of self-reliance persists: most still maintain their own homes, avoid institutional care, and remain active in community life.
House and Garden
Dutch migrants place high importance on home ownership and gardening—both culturally significant and emotionally grounding. Many live in outer-urban or semi-rural areas in ‘Dutch belts’, valuing privacy, productivity, and continuity. Gardens serve not only as a food source but as a symbol of autonomy and identity. The eventual need to give up gardening is widely acknowledged as a painful milestone of old age, representing declining independence and lifestyle change.
Eating in the Dutch Style
Food plays a vital role in maintaining cultural continuity and personal wellbeing. Migrants favour fresh, home-grown vegetables and traditional Dutch meals—healthy by modern standards, despite earlier reliance on fats and salt. Many recall food insecurity during WWII, and vegetable gardens are often symbolic of survival and abundance. Dutch food traditions are seen not just as culinary preference but as a form of health care, offering familiarity, comfort, and perceived vitality.
The War
Wartime memories, often repressed during the busyness of earlier life, resurface in old age. Some participants recall hunger, terror, resistance activity, or near-death experiences. These memories carry deep psychological significance and shape emotional responses in later life. Dreams and flashbacks to WWII trauma are common. Adult children often see these experiences only in hindsight, sometimes recognising their parents’ emotional wounds too late.
Doctors and Health
There is widespread ambivalence and even distrust toward medical professionals. Many older Dutch migrants avoid doctors unless absolutely necessary, valuing independence over medical dependence. Some hold that health comes from lifestyle choices, not medical intervention. Others point to the failure of the Australian health system to accommodate their language and cultural needs—an issue that may have contributed to misdiagnosis, neglect, and in some cases, death.
Children and Their Parents
Adult children, now in their 30s to 50s, recount their parents’ sacrifices and struggle to maintain independence. Many are now carers themselves, navigating their parents’ decline in health and the difficult transition to aged care. Emotional conflicts arise when older migrants resist institutionalisation or cannot communicate their needs effectively to healthcare providers. Children express guilt, frustration, and love—reflecting complex family bonds shaped by migration’s promise and cost.
Discussion
Walker-Birckhead resists portraying older migrants as frail or diminished. Instead, she presents them as enduring individuals, rooted in personal and cultural values. Their lives in old age reflect continuity: self-reliance, productive domestic routines, community participation, and modest aspirations. Yet systemic obstacles—language barriers, under-resourced aged care, and inaccessible health services—expose their vulnerability.
The chapter concludes that health in old age for Dutch migrants is not just biological, but deeply cultural. Wellbeing is bound to familiar routines, home life, meaningful food, and the ability to stay busy and useful. The deeper challenge lies in retaining one’s identity, purpose, and dignity in the face of physical decline, lost language, and cultural marginalisation. Migration and war have taught these individuals that life is both fragile and resilient, a paradox they continue to navigate daily.
Biography: Wendy Walker-Birckhead
Dr Wendy Walker-Birckhead is a social anthropologist and gerontologist with expertise in migrant ageing, health ethnography, and cross-cultural social research. She earned her PhD from the Australian National University, where she conducted extensive fieldwork on Dutch migration and identity. Her research bridges anthropology and aged care, with a particular focus on the interplay of cultural identity, health, and intergenerational family dynamics among older migrants.
Walker-Birckhead is a co-author of Healthy and Independent Living in Old Age (1999), and her scholarly contributions appear in journals on ageing, multiculturalism, and medical anthropology. Her work has helped shape discourse on culturally appropriate aged care in Australia, especially for post-war European migrant communities.
Her anthropological approach foregrounds personal testimony and lived experience, offering policymakers and practitioners vital insights into how migrant histories, cultural practices, and health care systems intersect in later life. Her writing is known for its clarity, compassion, and critical engagement with the hidden struggles of older non-English-speaking Australians.
