Early Life and Career Jan (John) van Hoboken was born in 1908 in Aalten, Gelderland, Netherlands. He began his career in 1929 when he accepted a position at the Borsumij trading company in the Netherlands East Indies. In 1932, he married while living there. When the Japanese invasion of the Read more…
Bill Westerveld’s life story is a testament to his enduring passion for football and resilience in the face of adversity. His journey in the sport took him across continents, representing his homeland at the youth level before embarking on a new chapter in New Zealand and later in Australia. Born Read more…
Nicola Lauren Olyslagers (née McDermott) (born 28 December 1996) is an Australian high jumper. She won the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the high jump. Olyslagers is the current high jump Oceanian record holder, and the world Read more…
The late 1950s and early 1960s marked a significant period in eastern Melbourne’s soccer history, as Wilhelmina emerged as a prominent club, laying the foundation for a cluster of local district clubs with strong Dutch influence. These clubs, including Hollandia, Fern Tree, Ringwood United, and Mooroolbark, thrived with Dutch backing, Read more…
Following the 1957 Australian Football Coup Australian football clubs began recruiting players from European clubs like those in Austria and the Netherlands. Thirty-four players, including thirteen from Dutch clubs, migrated to Australia, sparking a dispute over transfer fees. In response, FIFA banned Australia from international competitions until transfer fees were Read more…
The history of soccer governance in New South Wales, Australia, dates back to 1882, evolving through various associations until the formation of the Australian Soccer Football Association (ASFA) in 1921. By 1943, the New South Wales Soccer Football Association was established to oversee the sport within the state. In 1957, Read more…
David Bos, a Dutch immigrant, arrived in Sydney in the 1930s. During World War II, he played a crucial role as manager of the Netherlands Canteen. This canteen became a vital social hub for Dutch military personnel after the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies in 1942. After the Read more…
Edwin Jongejans, born on December 18, 1966, is a retired diver from the Netherlands who has made significant contributions to the world of diving, both as an athlete and a coach. Jongejans’ journey in diving began on the global stage with his participation in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. Read more…
Early Career and Rise to Prominence Jan (later John, Johnny) Van Oosten was born in The Hague. The family emigrated to Australia in 1954, when Jan was 7 years old. They settled in Victoria Park. His father was Dutch, his mother Polish, they had met each other in Germany where Read more…
Early Life and Introduction to Football Trixie Tagg (née van Lieshout) was born on December 13, 1948, in Amsterdam. Growing up in Amsterdam-West, Trixie was introduced to football at a young age, playing street football with friends—mostly boys—in the late 1950s. She fondly remembers listening to football matches on the Read more…