“Dutch Migration to Tasmania in 1950: Motivation, Intention and Assimilation” is a thesis by Kees Wierenga, submitted in October 2005 for a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in History at the University of Tasmania. The study delves into the experiences of Dutch migrants who relocated to Tasmania in 1950, focusing Read more…
Clogs and Dutch are ideas that belong together, largely due to the success of marketing by the Dutch Tourism industry. A more or less unique product and a more or less unique people – a marketers dream combination. Reality is quite different. Very few Dutch migrants brought clogs with them, Read more…
Calvin School- the why and the consequences In the 1950s, education of children was the joint responsibility of the State and the local Municipality. The State provided the buildings, the teachers and the curriculum. The Municipal Councillors enforced truancy regulations , and managed requests for absences (because mum was sick Read more…
This story is about how Little Groningen came to be. The name was coined by the farmer, Geard, who sold the land to the “G7” scouts, van der Laan and Pinkster. (The “G7” was a group of 7 families who had decided to emigrate to Tasmania and establish a building Read more…
The new doctor There is a red book. It is one of many books in a series. This one is devoted to the letter ‘S’. There is nothing in it except surnames starting with ‘S’, and the history of these names. Because it is a Dutch book, the name ‘von Read more…
This article was written during the 2006 Dutch royal visit to Australia. It was weeks of anticipation for the Dutch Community in Tasmania, as they received preliminary invitations and two general invitations in the Saturday Mercury, for the Royal visit. His Royal Highness, the Prince of Orange, and Her Royal Read more…
The article below is a brief resume of the life of Reg Doedens. It is structured on the ghosted auto-biography prepared by Anne Rand, with additional notes by the reviewer, (a neighbour, cadet, employee, hardware store co-owner, interviewer (for another book), family friend and fellow Christian). Some of Reg’s story Read more…
When he was 18 years old, Jan van Herweynen was asked by his father to travel to Tasmania, purchase a piece of land and begin building a house. Jan was accompanied by his cousin Bob Brinkman and the sister of his mother, Janny de Jonge. They left Schipol airport in Read more…
Special Tasman’s Briefcase to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of Abel Tasman The briefcase was made from black leather, embossed with the Tasmanian coat of arms. Inside there were several compartments. The main compartment contained a carved {profile?] head of Tasman let into a block of Tasmanian myrtle.A Read more…
Martina’s early memories were fixed in World War II. Her family lived in Den Helder, a natural harbour on the tip of North Holland. The harbour was also a naval base, and the object of much bombing. Some of the bombs, towards the end of the war, were German V1 Read more…