The JvO Migrant tales: The story of Jannetje Nieuwenhuis

On July 2, 1953, 24-year-old Jannetje Nieuwenhuis left the Netherlands behind to start a family with her husband Jan in Australia. Jannetje (97) shares many memories of her time on board the JvO. For example, she recounts that she had to keep an eye on her clean laundry while it was hanging to dry, otherwise it would be stolen.

AMSTERDAM, 2 juli 1953 - Jan (29) en Jannetje (24) Nieuwenhuis vertrekken met de Johan van Oldenbarnevelt naar Australië. Credit: Jannetje Nieuwenhuis

This interview is in English.

The Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was a well-known Dutch migrant ship. In the 50s and 60s of the last century, more than a hundred thousand people made the big crossing to Australia with this ship. In our series 'The JvO: Migrant Stories', Dutch Australians reminisce about their time on 'de Johan'.

Did you also travel to Australia on the 'Johan van Oldenbarnevelt', and do you have a special story you would like to share with the community? Contact us by email and mention JvO in the subject line.

Don't miss out on SBS Dutch! Subscribe to our Spotify or Apple Podcast feed.