Harry and Zus van Gerwen

Story

Harry and Zus van Gerwen found that the future in Holland for their six children was very bleak, judging by the financial difficulties they themselves were experiencing, and the prospects of promotion for himself as a stoker was almost non-existent. Long working hours, on a fixed wage and no prospects for the future forced them to embark on the most difficult and biggest decision of their lives and migrate to Australia. A totally strange land, on the other side of the world where only English was spoken. A daunting future and no preconception of how it all would go except for the promotional pamphlets given to them on application.

We sailed from Rotterdam on the SS Sibajak on Friday 28th January 1955. The Bay of Bisquay was relatively calm but we had to endure very stormy weather and heavy seas in the Mediterranean Sea. The Suez canal and the activities in and near Aden were something none of us had seen before. Enter the Indian Ocean and cyclonic activity south of the equator. The captain went out of his way to avoid the worst of it. A lot calmer weather took us to Fremantle where some people disembarked and after an overnight stay we headed for Melbourne where we arrived on Thursday 3rd March 1955. Mum and Dad must have wondered what they had let themselves in for but for us children aged between 9 and 21years it was an adventure.

We were taken by train to the migrant camp in Bonegilla near Wodonga in Victoria. The trip gave us some impression of the land and I think overall it was favourable but the hot weather was not that well appreciated, it could only get better. My maternal uncle and his family had come to Australia 3 months earlier and they had settled in Canberra. Uncle\’s friend came to Bonegilla and told us there was plenty of work there. My father, younger brother and I went to Canberra with the friend and started our future in Australia. My mother and sisters stayed in Bonegilla. We were able to find hostel accommodation in Canberra, Dad in Hillside hostel and brother and I in Capital Hill hostel, both hostels were situated where now the new Parliament house is located. Dad and I found work with Parks and Gardens and my brother in a garage. My English was the best but not fluent, my brother was able to make himself understood and Dad relied on me as he knew very little English. My mother and my four sisters came over and stayed with my uncle in his garage, during which time my oldest sister also found work . Soon after we found a place to stay in Hall ACT, a very quaint old place with a veranda all around and the dunny well away from the house and a 2000 gallon water tank next to the house, it was a small but cosy house. We bought a car and set out to buy all the things we needed to set up house. Everything was bought on Hire Purchase and with the 4 wages coming in there was still some money left over to buy Dad some cigars and Mother a box of chocolates. This certainly put a smile on their faces and I think from that moment on I felt they knew they had made the right decision to come to Australia. The time we lived in Hall was very enjoyable, something none of us will never forget. Our name came up on the ACT Housing list and were allotted a 3 bedroom house in Yarralumla. We settled in very well and were cruising along enjoying ourselves and found ourselves the jobs we wanted and for some of use a partner to share our good fortune with. Unfortunately Dad developed heart problems and died in 1960 the same year that 3 of his children had announced they were getting married. It was very sad that he missed out on seeing his children settle down and have children of their own, as the future of their own children was the reason they had decided to come here. However, Mother, who loved and missed him so very much, was able to enjoy all the weddings and her grandchildren until she died in 1977. All of us settled down with good partners and secure jobs.

We are forever indebted to them for making this difficult decision to give us a better future, and we have made them very proud of what we have achieved in this great land and we will forever be very proud of them. All of us became naturalized Australians within 5 years of arrival and are passionate about this land, its beauty and the opportunities it offers to secure a good future.

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