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
Ted de Lyster, born on June 17, 1947 in The Hague, is an Australian former association football player whose career, though brief at the international level, holds a special place in the history of Australian football. De Lyster’s journey from his early days in the Netherlands to representing Australia on Read more
Dutch heritage Aaron Frank Mooy, originally named Aaron Kuhlman, was born on 15 September 1990 in Sydney, Australia. His surname was changed by his Dutch mother after her divorce. Mooy had minimal contact with his father, only meeting him briefly at age 14 to sign forms for a Dutch passport. Read more
William (Bill) Vrolyks was born in the Netherlands in 1925. In 1945 at the age of twenty, he was sent to Australia as part of the Royal Dutch Air Force for training to fight the Japanese during the Second World War. At the time, there was a major union boycott Read more
Cornelis du Buy was born on January 8, 1921, in Amsterdam, the son of Cornelis du Buy and Maria Catharina Ramakers. During his teenage years, in the interwar period, Cornelis learned table tennis at home from his father, playing on the dining table. Cornelis’ mother, originally from Limburg, acted as Read more
Information provided by Peter’s son Laurie Early Life and Athletic Career Petrus “Peter” or “Piet” van Rijn was born in The Hague (Den Haag), Netherlands, on 18May, 1917 (and passed away on 26th June, 2002). His parents were Piet van Rijn and Antonius Hendrieka Knijf. His mother was born in Read more
Tony Noy, emigrated to Australia from Gennep as an eighteen year old with his family and was soon playing in the Melbourne competition, first with Slavia, and then with Wilhelmina, enticed there by Van Hoboken with the promise of a job for his father and cheap housing for his family. Read more