Antonius den Exter
| First name | Antonius |
|---|---|
| Last name | den Exter |
| Country of Origin | Netherlands |
| Date of Birth | 6/8/2015 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1951 |
| Submitted by | Immy McKiernan |
Story
Antonius (Toon) Petrus den Exters\’ Migration Story
Antonius was born in The Hague, Holland on 8 June 1915. After completing school at the age of 14, he worked in a shoe factory and thereafter gained a diploma as a swimming instructor, a field in which he worked until the outbreak of World War 2.
During the war years and the German occupation of Holland, Toon worked for the Dutch underground [resistance movement] on a farm in Heteren. Shortly after the war he married Baukje Reinink in Hoogeveen.
Prior to the birth in 1947 of their first children, twin boys Peter and Arend, Toon and Baukje moved to Hilversum to live with Toon\’s parents who operated a Pension [boarding house]. In 1949 their second children, twin girls Helena and Immy were born. Accommodation was hard to find after the war and living with Toon\’s parents was not ideal. They dearly wanted a place and future of their own. Toon also had difficulty in finding work due to the shortage of jobs after the war and the family was unable to save any money.
Big advertisements appeared in the papers promoting migration to Australia, Canada and New Zealand. It was Baukje who suggested, ‘Isn\’t that something for us?\’ Toon said, ‘Yes! ‘Look, why not\’. They felt Australia would offer them a new start in life and better opportunities for their children.
So on 9 May 1951 the family departed Rotterdam on the Sibajak, travelling via the Suez Canal to Sydney. Baukje was lucky to be allocated a cabin with the four young children. Toon was to sleep in the hull with the men however moved into the cabin for the journey.
The journey to Australia was not very relaxing. Most of the time was spent supervising their four small children. The food was very good but the children didn\’t eat much, they were too excited with their surroundings.
Landing in Sydney on 18 June 1951, the family had medical check-ups and were processed through Customs. Late in the afternoon, they were transported by bus to Sydney railway station to board the train for an army camp at Kelso near Bathurst. They travelled all night arriving about five o\’clock in the morning. It was very cold and the countryside was white with frost.
On arrival they had to stand in line in front of a small barrack. Here they were assigned barrack numbers, tickets for mattresses, linen, crockery etc., which they had to collect and carry themselves to their allotted places. It was freezing cold and they felt harshly treated.
Toon took off hitchhiking to find work. His first job was on an Orchard at Niagara Park near Gosford. There the famliy lived under very basic conditions with no real benefits for the future. They had only been there roughly half a year, when they moved to Towradgi Park, Corrimal [in the Illawarra] living in a tent for seven months before moving to Woonona. Toon commenced work at the Pt Kembla Steelworks. Towradgi Park was more enjoyable for the family because they had social contact with other Dutch families who also lived there. In 1956 the family moved again when Toon purchased a farm at Terranora on the Tweed. He lived here for the rest of his life.
Submitted by Immy McKiernan 2007