Hendrika (Hetty) van Brussel
| Town/City | Dubbo NSW |
|---|---|
| First name | Hendrika (Hetty) |
| Last name | van Brussel |
| Country of Origin | The Netherlands |
| Date of Birth | 1940 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1978 |
| Submitted by | Hendrika (Hetty) Engel |
Story
Hendrika Gretha (Hetty) van Brussel was born in Utrecht, some weeks before the Netherlands fell under German occupation in World War II.
The following years were of great hardship, deprivation and oppression.
Early memories include severe food shortages, when cherished household possessions were bartered, when trips to the countryside by her parents were made by “bike with timber tyres”, or train under threat of bombing and strafing, to secure food. Her father hid in a cupboard under the roof tiles to escape German conscription, and the family sheltered her uncle for similar reasons. In one episode, with a handcart, bringing a load of potatoes, her father and a neighbour tumbled into the doorway after the curfew.
Air raid sirens brought fear and a rush to shelter three people in the toilet. A bomb destroyed a few houses in the next street – a frightening experience of vivid memory to a child.
The gradual return of ordinary food items after the war was remembered with delight – for example a Christmas orange, peanut butter, and a first banana !
The return of prosperity and a good education brought an early work opportunity and eventual independence. Holidays and weekends were spent in excursions, camping, folk dancing, sports, youth hostels, with a group of friends.
A long distance romance with a Dutchman from Australia brought a surprise proposal, followed by marriage the following year and moving to Australia in 1978, inheriting two teenage children in the process.
The flight from Amsterdam to Sydney was diverted via Adelaide and Melbourne because of a death en route, and took 27 hours in all. This disruption brought the couple by the night mail train to freezing Bathurst, and then by car to Dubbo – with a visit to a country pub in Yeoval – the biggest little town in the West. The culture shock for a young Dutch woman travelling from tiny Holland to the wide open spaces of Australia was severe. Homesickness after 7 weeks was only gradually eased – with messages to and from home by tape recordings. After six years, visits to and from Holland eased the separation
Succeeding events have confirmed a happy settled life in Australia, which has involved travel over the length and breadth of the ” wide brown land “.