By Nonja Peters
Yesterday I
accepted the first copy of Jan Fels book Je
neemt jezelf mee overzee. It was a great pleasure and I wish to
congratulate Jan on a job well done.
To write an
autobiography is a great undertaking at any time. To write one that is also
partly based on primary resource material is an even greater undertaking.
Jan’s book
makes an important contribution to the lesser-known experiences of children who
accompanied their parents from the Netherlands to Australia in the post-war
period. The majority of books to-date
concern the migration experiences of the first generation. I have a plethora of them – 300 at least - in
my research collection.
Let me add that
by second-generation migrant, I refer to children of Dutch parents born in the Netherlands
or in Australia who completed most of their schooling in Australia. Their
experience differs markedly from that of their parents. Jan and I are second generation migrants born
here educated there.
‘Aanpassen’
When
interviewed about their migration experiences – second generation
Dutch-Australian migrants most often expressed response is: “were never given a
say in the matter”. We were sent into
the Australian community with the imperative – aanpassen. Assimilation
policy reigned supreme at that time, and Dutch parents expected their
children’s resettlement to be seamless. It was often not so – but most parent’s
were unaware of the challenges that faced their children as their heritage was
firmly rooted in the homeland culture - ours was not.
Jan’s migration
experience stands out as different again, from most second generation Dutch
Australians, in that he was thrown immediately into an Australian environment
during the day and at night, whereas most of us went to Australian schools and
Dutch homes. Jan received a ‘double whammy’ of Australian culture and cuisine
and formed strong network relationships with Australians as a result.
In many ways
this engendered Jan’s second migration as an adult. Second migrations are not isolated
experiences. Although return migration was very high among the Dutch – many
then began a rollercoaster life – then in homeland then in host-land.
In term of
sense of place, identity and belonging – Dutch kids, like me, often explain how
they never feel like they completely ‘fit’ in either country. They live between
two worlds - always the ‘other’! This feeling will, I fear, die with me.
I hope Jan’s
achievement will prompt others to also write down their experience. We need
today’s policy makers to more fully appreciate the experience of Dutch and
other migrant children.
***
Prof.dr. Nonja
Peter is an anthropologist, historian, museum curator, social
researcher and public speaker, whose interests include the transnational
movement of people (forced and voluntary), ethnicity, class, gender, racism, sense
of place, identity and belonging; immigrant entrepreneurship, and the digital
preservation of immigrants’ cultural heritage. She has a special interest in
Dutch maritime, military, migration and mercantile connections with Australia
and the South East Asian and Pacific Regions.
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