Titia Jacomina van Riel (née Vijverberg) was born in The Hague on 21 May 1922. Her life spanned the German occupation of the Netherlands, the turbulent years of Indonesian independence and the challenges of establishing a new home and raising a family in post-war Australia. Titia studied law at Utrecht Read more
Wartime experiences in the Netherlands Pieter Laning was born on 2 February 1914 and lived in Groningen, the Netherlands. During the German occupation in the Second World War, he became involved in the Dutch Resistance. Kees Wierenga’s historical research records that Laning spent time hiding on a small island in Read more
Dutch migrants seek to establish a community in Kingston In September 1950, two Dutch migrants, Eerke van der Laan and Egbert (Eb) Pinkster, appeared before Kingborough Council in southern Tasmania to discuss plans for a Dutch settlement at Kingston. The two men represented a group of migrants from Groningen in Read more
Introduction In 1950, a group of Dutch migrants from Groningen began establishing a settlement at Kingston, south of Hobart, Tasmania. Their undertaking became known as Little Groningen and developed into an important centre of Dutch-Australian religious, educational, commercial and community life. The original group, known as the Groningen Seven (G7), Read more
Jacob Teunis Guijs was born in Sliedrecht on 4 November 1917. He was the youngest son of labourer Arie Guijs and Barbera de Waard. Jacob was among the Dutch workers who travelled to Australia in connection with the post-war dredging project. He left the Netherlands on the KLM flight departing Read more
Dutch soldiers in British service The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) created unexpected connections between the Netherlands, Britain and territories across the world. One intriguing but largely unexplored question is whether Dutch soldiers who entered British military service during this period subsequently found their way to colonial Australia. An interesting starting point Read more
Petrus Franciscus Martinus Hendriks was born on 16 May 1914 at a house on Gasthuislaan in Leiden. He was the son of Martinus Hendriks, a copperplate printer, and Anna Oomens. On 3 November 1937, Petrus married Cornelia Godschalk in Leiden. Cornelia was born in Lieshout on 21 December 1917 and Read more
Pieter Willem van der Veer was born in Hellevoetsluis on 11 December 1916. He was the son of Jacob van der Veer (1889–1928), who worked as a blacksmith and pyrotechnician at a shipyard, and Sara Maria Spruijt (1892–1957). Pieter Willem grew up in a large family with five brothers and Read more
Following the Second World War, Dutch migrants arriving in Australia faced the challenge of adapting to an English-speaking society while maintaining their Dutch language and cultural identity. Over time, English increasingly replaced Dutch, not only within families but also in Dutch community organisations. Sacha McPherson, a student at the University Read more
A migration story about hope, establishing a new life and an early farewell in Tasmania In the post-war Netherlands, increasing numbers of people decided to seek their future elsewhere. The Kroon family from The Hague also made this momentous decision. In 1950, they exchanged their familiar surroundings for a future Read more