The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hagen
Initially, there were several small Dutch clubs in the various immigrant hostels in and around Newcastle, with Camp Greta being one of the bigger ones. After a little while, in the early fifties, members of the various clubs in the area came together and decided to form a proper Dutch Society for the whole district, and thus, Concordia was established in the Wallsend Community Hall. It is therefore difficult to give an exact date of the foundation of this club, but it is more than 25 years old. Like the majority of the Dutch Societies in the early years, the main events were dance evenings. In 1957, a theatre/playgroup came into being, and this group became very popular. In the Greek Hall in Hamilton, many a performance was given, and a great many Dutch people had an enjoyable evening. As a matter of fact, this acting group glued the Concordia members solidly together, and today, this club can boast of a steady membership of 200 people.
In the eighties, there are still dance evenings being organized – approximately 5 or 6 per year – also wine and cheese tastings and film evenings. The club has, for its social activities, twice received a grant from the Department of Ethnic Affairs. The amount was $900. Every year, the club donates 10% of its profits to a charitable institution, either the Queen Wilhelmina Benevolent Fund or another organization chosen by the members during the Annual General Meeting.
One of the female members of Concordia initiated, not very long ago, a club for ‘over 60s’. This is at the moment one of the very successful enterprises of the club. Other events are participation in the yearly Carnivale, playing cards, and many more activities.
The following historic overview was written by Joop de Wit in 2022
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