Wilhelmus VanDenHeuvel
| First name | Wilhelmus |
|---|---|
| Last name | VanDenHeuvel |
| Country of Origin | Netherlands |
| Date of Birth | 21/07/32 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1957 |
| Submitted by | Gerald VanDenHeuvel |
Story
Wilhelmus Ludovicus VanDenHeuvel was born in Eindhoven, The Netherlands on 21st July 1932. Helena Ida Maria Kokhuis was born in Eindhoven, The Netherlands on 26th May 1934.
On 18th September 1957, Will married Leny. As they entered married life, they decided to embark on a trip of a lifetime to begin their life together in Australia. They made the journey from Amsterdam on a migrant ship, the ” Johan Van Oldenbarnevelt”, arriving in Sydney, NSW, in November 1957.
During the journey they made many friends whilst attending English lessons, socialising and sight seeing. On disembarking, they were taken by bus to the outskirts of western Sydney and settled at a migrant hostel at Scheyville, NSW.
Will soon found a job at Lidcombe with IBM, whilst Leny remained at the hostel. Will & Leny found themselves in the bushland of outer western Sydney enduring a very hot Australian summer. They eventually moved to Toongabbie, then Doonside, before finally settling in a then new housing commission estate at Miller, in Sydney’s south western suburbs in 1963.
Will & Leny had started their family soon after arriving in Australia. They had 4 children – Gerald (1958), Leo (1959), Marjorie (1962) & Adrian(1966). Will continued to work at IBM Lidcombe before relocating to the Rosebery IBM premises in the early 1970’s. Leny remained at home looking after the house & children during this time.
As the children grew up, Leny eventually went back to work. She found a job at The Dutch Australian Weekly, which was a Dutch newspaper keeping Dutch migrants in touch with what was happening in their homeland & in various Dutch communities throughout Australia.
Leny passed away in December 1979 after a short illness. Will continued his working life with IBM up until his retirement in 1992. After his retirement he relocated to Goonellabah on the NSW north coast and continues to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle offered by this part of the world. He has seen his 4 children venture into their own successful careers after completing their education. The children have all married & pursue busy lives. The family has continued to grow and Will now has 9 wonderful grandchildren (Emma, Matthew, Kate, Jack, Jessica, Demi, Matthew, Sam & Meg).