The story of Ron Van ‘t Hag provides a particularly interesting example of how a young Dutch migrant became involved in Australian sporting life.
Born in Almelo, the Netherlands, on 6 July 1940, Ron emigrated to Australia with his parents when he was approximately thirteen years old.
The family settled in the Torquay area, where Ron became involved in Australian rules football.
Torquay Football Club had re-established itself in 1951, and its first under-15 team was formed in 1952. The club became an important part of the town’s sporting and social life.
Ron developed as a footballer and eventually progressed to the Geelong Football Club, competing in the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level of Australian rules football at the time.
In 1959, at nineteen years of age, he played two senior matches for Geelong, wearing number 21.
His achievement was particularly notable given that he had spent his early childhood in the Netherlands, where Australian rules football was virtually unknown.
A photograph published in the June 2018 edition of History Matters identifies R. Van T’Hag among members of the Torquay Football Club, providing another connection with the town’s sporting history.
According to local recollections collected by Torquay Museum Without Walls, Ron later married Marianne Bendle, whose family had early connections with nearby Jan Juc.
His story illustrates how participation in Australian sport provided opportunities for migrant children to become involved in their new communities.
It also highlights a different aspect of Dutch sporting history in Australia. While Dutch migrants established soccer clubs in Geelong during the 1950s, Ron became involved in the distinctly Australian game of Australian rules football.
His progression from Torquay to the VFL deserves recognition as part of the Dutch-Australian sporting story.
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