Researching my Dutch family history

   

Writing a family history can be fraught with dramas and often confusing mixed up memories.  When my father's family immigrated from Holland just after the war in 1952 for a new life in Australia they were faced with lots of hurdles to overcome and each member of the 8 member family found different ways to leave the trauma and upheaval of the war behind them.

When I decided to embark on recording some of those memories l had no idea how traumatic that would be and as the years go by l find that more information is lost as l lose those nearest and dearest each taking part of the puzzle with them.

I will post parts of the story here and allow you to follow my convoluted journey to search out more facts - remembering that the children in the photo above were just that - children and mere babies when the war disrupted their happy family life in a beautiful country.

My Auntie Gert - the young lady next to the little boy - my Uncle Jopie holding his rocking horse - became my best source of information as she was old enough to remember events clearly - she left Holland and her fiance - our connection to the Delwig family - behind - he stayed with his dying mother then followed our family after her death and married my Aunt - the only truly Dutch couple as all the other children married Aussies.  Consequently the next generation speak no Dutch as it was decided that they were now all Australians.

Here is part of the

story when Auntie Gert's fiance Gerrard joined her in Australia - just for the Delwigs still living in Holland - Auntie Gert is pictured here on the left  ----

                                                      GERT MARRIES GERRARD

Gerrard came to Australia after his Mother’s death to marry me – l was 20 and we were married in Ballarat at St Andrews Kirk in Sturt St. We lived in a little house which we rented Clunes for a while and Gerrard worked at the sock mill and l was working at the hospital. Matron Brown offered me a job as a nurse’s aide and she and the other nurses and cleaners taught me English while l worked – they were very kind.

We first lived in a two bedroom cottage near the fire-station with a living room kitchen and bathroom and toilet outside – no shower just a bath. When we got married l didn’t have a ring we didn’t have the money only just arrived was it ok to be married without a ring and the minister said “Why not” –l wore a pale blue dress with white gloves with lace on the cuffs – the little had had a small veil and it matched my dress – Opa provided the flowers from his garden. The horse shoe was given by Mum – Gerrard brought the suit over from Holland with him. Married in 18^th February 1953 had Bert born 9^th of November the same year. We never made it to our 25^th wedding anniversary when l was to finally get my wedding ring – no engagement ring either.

We bought a bed for the bedroom a table and four chairs and two easy chairs for the lounge room the kitchen had a big wooden table which came with the house we could only afford the basic pots and pans, china and linen. Had an icebox it had a block of ice in the top the ice man came twice a week.  Gerrard made a beautiful veggie garden the soil was beautiful l got sunstroke one year picking peas he had rows and rows of peas they had to be picked and sold.  We sold them at the milk bar in Clunes and in Ballarat – tomatoes, beans, caulis, broccoli anything he grew – though he worked at the mill he loved to be outdoors. We later moved to a house near the creek no garden there because it was flooded all the house flooded so we moved to Suburban St at the back of the factory which we stayed in till we moved to the Skipton property. The house near the creek was on stilts so the water only just covered the floor. Uncle Tot will remember Bert was little we put him in his pram and Tot and Gerrard lifted the pram above their heads and carried him through the flood water.

We visited the gardens in Ballarat during the Begonia Festival and met Mr Beaumont gave Gerrard to train him as a landscape gardener while he still worked at the mill he got the bus into Ballarat in his spare time and he trained for a while and then was offered landscaping work at Langiwilly  a big property just out of Skipton Senator McKinnon                 we lived in the flat attached to the house on the property. We were there for around one year until the job was done.  Gerard then saw an advertisement for the job at Camperdown

We ended up in Camperdown where Gerrard got a job at the caravan park as a caretaker and groundsman he also worked in the botanic garden   When they closed the garden he worked on the railways building culverts right up to his death he was in his forty nine when he died of cardiomyopathy  the same as Gerry has now.  Gerrard had a beautiful veggie garden and flowers too – he didn’t like me to pick the flowers – he would bring a bunch of flowers in for me. Bert was in his twenties when his father died, the two youngest were Tony was 15 and Peter had just turned 10 - 1975.  He was a great musician – he played guitar violin keyboard eukelie and instrument he could pick up he could play – Jerry is the same – he could read music but played by ear.  

He was in and out of hospital either Camperdown Warrnambool or Geelong in a lot of pain – l used to sit up with him during the night – the boys had cars and wanted to take him to hospital – he wouldn’t let them even ring the doctor.  Before he was diagnosed he couldn’t work it took some time to find what was causing the illness – he was getting tired thin and he wasted away.  He was on a sickness pension not enough to live on so l took on a few jobs to keep us going but l couldn’t be away from home for long.  He hated not being active and able to work and depressing.

I went on the widows pension after friends told me to apply – they said the benefits would help for doctors and dentists – I declared my earnings as l went out to work cleaning ironing babysitting anything l could do to keep us going. 

I can say it wasn’t easy but we managed – the boys had all their sporting interests and didn’t go without anything and home was happy not many arguments and we all enjoyed what we did.

Gerrard is buried in Camperdown l put fresh artificial flowers on every year.

The old house outside Camperdown on the hill brick – big rooms high ceilings fireplace in the lounge room and kitchen electric stove beautiful garden thanks to Gerrard.  We had everything we needed but we weren’t rich the boys were well clothed and there was always plenty of food – they had their bikes then cars which they paid for from their wages – all in all a good lifestyle – the boys had friends which they bought home – a huge dining room was made into a games room – a billiard and tennis table darts board – it was all in that room.  All the kids came for a feed.

We moved into the house up the hill from the butter factory after Gerrard died – l bought it through compensation from the heavy lifting Gerrard did with his job which they said affected his heart – with that payout l still had just two years to pay the house off. 

Met Bill through dancing l went to all the ballroom dances. He went to all the ones l went to. He was a widower we became friends then got together. He asked me to marry him and l said “No” l didn’t want to marry again and he was quite happy with that – we had 13 years together – I moved in here (Terang) when l turned 60 – l was 73 when Bill died – I’ll be 83 in April this year 2015. I sold the house to Bert and Cheryl, who were already married and living in the house, cheaply with the permission of the other three boys and divided the money up for the other three.