Helena & Theodorus Van Hees

Story

‘Our Story’.

Story of my parents Theodorus and Helena Van Hees.

After the hardship that followed the second world war in Europe, my parents decided in late 1956 to leave their home town of Heeze, a small village in Holland looking for a new and better life and a freedom from struggle. They chose Australia because of the wide open spaces, they also liked the idea of owning land and raising their children in a safer place that they could call their own. They departed Holland on the 13th of September 1956. By DC8 aeroplane they stopped over in Germany, Egypt, Rome and Indonesia before arriving in Australia many days later, with six young children Lambertus, Dorathea (dec), Martinus, Theodorus, Grada and Helena who ranged in age from Bert who was around 14 years old, to Helen who was around 4 years old. At the time of arrival in Australia mum was seven months pregnant with my youngest sister Tresa.

The KLM Airline DC 8 plane touched down in Sydney, from there a Bus trip out to Bonegilla where the family stayed for around six weeks. After that we travelled south into the Victorian central highlands and called Creswick home, a small rural town that had numerous other Dutch families settling around the same period of time. Mum and Dad rented a small house for three pounds a week until a more long term home could be found. My father Theo found work in Creswick at the local wool mill (a workplace that is still in operation to the present day). I can remember that this stage of settlement was hard on the older children attending school because of the new language we were all learning, as well as the Australian way of life. From there Mum and Dad purchased a home at Creswick, where they ran cattle, pigs and chickens and other farm animals. This was called home for four years.

After this period spent in Creswick Mum and Dad then moved to Linton a smaller rural town south west of Ballarat. At this time dad was working away from home with my eldest brother Bert as a woodcutter / tree feller in the Otway Ranges 150 km south of Linton. Mum looked after the children and spent time working and running the farm (‘De zwallow’), where we spent our childhood and young adult life living on the land and within the rural community. Mum and Dad set up a farm that developed into having dairy cattle, pigs and chickens to help feed and support the children. Dad was a keen fisherman, woodcutter and card player. In later life fishing for eels with his grandchildren, and then smoking eels in his smoke house for his family members and other Dutch friends. Mum was and still is a keen gardener, card player, market addict and cook. Some of my brothers and sisters who also found work on neighbouring farm properties eventually moved closer to Ballarat, Creswick and further on to Melbourne with their children. One of my sisters and older brother still live in the original family home in Linton. My husband and I live a short walk down the road from my parents home.

My Dad passed away in November 1995, Mum will be 90 next year and lives in a small aged care facility in Skipton, a short drive west from Linton. She is quite the AFL football tipster! My family settled in Australia 55 years ago. Our family now consists of my Mum and Dad (dec) seven brothers and sisters, 13 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and still growing.

Mum and Dad had a few trips back to Holland over the years, but they always loved to return home to Australia. Mum and Dad never regretted leaving Holland, and only ever had good things to say about Australia. They always barracked for the Dutch (oronyaboomars) soccer team when they played the Aussies. You can take the person out of Holland but you can\’t take the clog out of the Dutchie!

Thank you for reading ‘our story’.

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