Dutch migrants and Tasmania’s building industry The growth of Kingston following the Second World War was closely associated with Dutch migration. Among the businesses contributing to the area’s development was Laver Construction, a building company with connections to the Verdouw family and the wider Dutch community. The company became involved Read more
From the Netherlands to Tasmania Dirk Verdouw was born on 5 July 1936 in Leerdam, the Netherlands. His childhood was shaped by the Second World War and the economic difficulties experienced by his family in the years that followed. His father operated a bakery and his mother a cake shop. Read more
Origins in the Kingston Dutch community Christian Homes Tasmania traces its origins to 1970, when individual members of the Christian Reformed Church in Kingston began considering how they could provide suitable accommodation and care for their ageing parents. Many of these families belonged to the Dutch migrant community that had Read more
From migrant settlement to community service The Dutch migrants who established Little Groningen at Kingston in 1950 contributed to more than the construction of houses, churches and schools. Over subsequent decades, members of the community also became involved in welfare initiatives serving the wider Tasmanian population. One example was Jireh Read more
Rokus Huisman was born in Sliedrecht, South Holland, on 28 June 1927. He was the son of J. Huisman, a pastry baker who lived at 4 C.M. van Reesstraat in Sliedrecht. On 22 July 1950, Rokus departed from Schiphol Airport aboard a KLM flight bound for Australia. The aircraft seating Read more
In June and July 1950, two specially organised KLM flights carried Dutch dredging workers and members of their families to Australia. The passengers were associated with the establishment and early operations of Australian Dredging and General Works Pty Ltd, although the precise connection of several individuals with the company remains Read more
Abraham Dubbelman was born on 25 September 1926. His birthplace and the names of his parents have not yet been established. The surviving passenger information places Abraham aboard a KLM flight to Sydney in 1950. His name appears beside seat E4 on the hand-drawn aircraft seating plan. The flight formed Read more
Personal recollections of Dutch migrants travelling to Australia aboard the MS Sibajak in May and June 1951, preserved in the family history compiled by Tini (Visser) Cook. In May 1951, hundreds of Dutch emigrants boarded the passenger ship Sibajak to begin new lives in Australia. Among them were the Visser Read more
A migration project built around a business The Australian Building Corporation (ABC) was established in 1950 by a group of Dutch migrants from Groningen who planned to create a new future in Tasmania through a cooperative building enterprise. The original organisers, known as the Groningen Seven (G7), did not intend Read more
From Winsum to Tasmania Geert de Haan was born on 8 October 1911 and worked as a building contractor in Winsum, a town approximately 15 kilometres northwest of Groningen in the Netherlands. In 1950, he joined a group of Dutch migrants planning to establish a building enterprise in Tasmania. The Read more