From the Netherlands to Australia
Roelf Vos (1921–1992) was a Dutch-Australian businessman whose development of a supermarket chain helped transform food retailing in Tasmania.
Born on 4 October 1921 at Bergum (Burgum), Friesland, he grew up in a family involved in transport and retailing. His father operated a barge carrying goods along Dutch waterways and later established a delivery business.
Roelf left school at fourteen and worked in the family business before gaining experience in a drapery shop.
During the Second World War, he became involved in the Dutch Resistance and was forced into hiding to avoid arrest by the German occupying authorities.
After the war, he established a successful drapery business at Oude Pekela in Groningen. In 1946 he married Harmina Catharina (Miep) Nieboer.
Despite his business success, Vos became concerned about Europe’s future and decided to emigrate.
Establishing a new life in Tasmania
Roelf and Miep Vos arrived in Sydney with their three children on 21 February 1951. After a period at the Bathurst migrant camp, they moved to Ulverstone, Tasmania, in March.
Their migration was encouraged by another Dutch migrant, Engel Sypkes, who subsequently established the Purity supermarket chain in southern Tasmania.
The family’s early years were difficult. Roelf worked as a builder’s labourer during the day and at a cannery in the evenings. Both he and Miep initially spoke little English.
In 1953, Vos moved to Deloraine, where he opened a gift shop. A second shop followed at George Town in 1956.
These businesses provided a foundation for his later success, although Vos recognised that food retailing offered greater opportunities.
Introducing self-service supermarkets
In 1957, Vos moved his family to Launceston and acquired a milk bar, which he converted into a self-service grocery store.
At a time when many customers still purchased groceries through traditional counter service, the new approach offered greater convenience and lower prices.
Vos used innovative advertising, including painting footprints on Launceston footpaths to attract customers to his store.
The business expanded into a chain of thirteen supermarkets across northern Tasmania, employing approximately 500 people.
Vos also played an important role in developing cooperative wholesale purchasing arrangements, helping independent retailers compete more effectively.
His friend and fellow Dutch migrant Engel Sypkes developed a comparable supermarket business in southern Tasmania under the Purity name.
Together, their businesses contributed significantly to the transformation of Tasmanian food retailing.
Sale to Woolworths and property development
In 1982, Vos sold his supermarket operations to Woolworths. At the time, the business reportedly had an annual turnover of approximately $40 million.
The Roelf Vos name continued to be used on Tasmanian supermarkets for many years after the sale.
Vos retained property interests and increasingly concentrated on development projects.
One of his most distinctive undertakings was Grindelwald, a Swiss-style village and resort in the Tamar Valley north of Launceston.
Inspired by visits to Switzerland, Roelf and Miep wanted to create a village incorporating housing, shops, recreational facilities and accommodation.
Development began in the early 1980s, with Roelf’s son Michael becoming closely involved in the project.
The village subsequently became a well-known Tasmanian tourist destination.
The Vos family and Laver Construction
Roelf Vos died on 2 December 1992, but his family’s business activities continued.
His sons Michael and Harry became involved in the development of the Vos Group, which increasingly concentrated on property development, construction and joinery.
In 1997, the family acquired Laver Pty Ltd, an established Tasmanian construction business associated with the Verdouw family and the development of Kingston.
The acquisition created a further connection between two Dutch-Australian business families.
The company subsequently developed under the name Vos Construction and Joinery, undertaking commercial, industrial and institutional building projects in Tasmania and elsewhere in Australia.
Contribution to Dutch-Australian history
Roelf Vos was among the Dutch migrants who made a substantial contribution to Tasmania’s post-war economic development.
His experience illustrates the progression from difficult beginnings as a newly arrived migrant to the establishment of a major Australian retail enterprise.
He also maintained connections with other Dutch migrants, including Engel Sypkes, whose own business activities helped introduce modern supermarket retailing to Tasmania.
The subsequent development of the Vos Group demonstrates how the commercial activities established by the first generation continued through their children.
Although Vos was not directly involved in founding Little Groningen, his family’s later acquisition of Laver Construction provides a connection with the Dutch migrant building enterprises that developed around Kingston.
Sources and acknowledgement
- Roelf Vos (1921–1992) – Australian Dictionary of Biography, by J. Richards, Australian National University.
- Roelf Vos – Companion to Tasmanian History, by Michael Vos, University of Tasmania.
- Vos Construction and Joinery – Company history.
- Why Roelf Vos built Grindelwald, ABC News, 2022.
- The entrepreneurial Sypkes family in Tasmania, Dutch Australian Cultural Centre.
Related research
This article is included in the DACC’s Research Portal – Little Groningen: Dutch migration, faith and community in Kingston, Tasmania, which also documents wider Dutch-Tasmanian migration and business connections.
