Teacher, community volunteer, alderman, Lord Mayor, Legislative Councillor. It is normal for the eldest son to inherit the farm. This has been true over the centuries, and in many places in the world. Jos (Adrianus Johannes Ansems), known to all as Lange Jos, refused the privilege. He had no heart Read more…
Bram and I decided to emigrate to Australia, the land of milk and honey (not always) in November 1959. In February 1960 we got married, just after my twenty first birthday, and a few weeks later our application to go was approved. We were young and full of adventures. We Read more…
The journal below is based on the diary Charlie kept through his National Service days. It was later edited by him, and passed to this editor for inclusion in the record of achievements of Dutch migrants to Tasmania. It may be seen as the description of the life of an Read more…
In October 1951 Dirk Bolt migrated from his native Groningen, the Netherlands, to Kingston, Tasmania, Australia, where he married Guusje (Kusha) van der Laan in January 1953. In 1964 they moved to Canberra. From 1971 onward, they moved to various places in response to a series of international appointments Read more…
Below is a short summary by Kees Wierenga of the book by Liz Nickols. Names are in alpha order. Copies of the book are available from liz.nickols@gmail.com. Details noted below, especially regarding who is still alive and or where some people are living, was accurate in 2013. The summary below Read more…
Fair Dinkum Dutch Courage Compiled by Elizabeth Nickols (27 families) Excerpts (and some additional notation by Kees Wierenga)Brandsema, Wilko (Bill) and Hendrikje (Hennie) nee Wind(pp.1 – 9, 20 photos) Wilko was born in 1910 in Stadskanaal, the son of a baker. Hennie was born a year later, her father a Read more…
50 years of silence ‘How can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn’t tell them face to face . . . so I decided to write it down.’ Jan Ruff O’Herne’s Read more…
This is information returned by Robert based on the questionnaire for the associated research projects titled: ‘Footsteps of the Dutch in Australia’; ‘Dutch Contact and Resettlement in Western Australia’; ‘The Evacuation Movement out of the Netherlands East Indies into Australia of Dutch Refugees during and after World War II’, and Read more…
This article was created with the permission of, and with information made available by, Mr. Bijvoet’s grandchildren, Dr. Shanti Wong and Mr. Mark Wardle. Cornelis Bijvoet (1890–1964) was a Dutch shipping engineer who served his country with distinction as a ship designer, a World War II naval officer, and a Read more…
The following story was told by Les Bryant and recorded in World War II Stories from Brisbane’s South West My aunt was one of MacArthur’s drivers in Brisbane, but her story started overseas. She actually arrived back in Australia about the same time as Macarthur, as an evacuee from the Read more…