The grandpa who never grew old
Growing up in the Netherlands, Nienke never met her grandfather Jos. She decided to research his life for a podcast during her journalism degree.
He has always been an interesting man because I had pictures of him, and I was really interested in Australia because it was so far away and like a paradise. And because he died at such a young age, he became kind of a legend in our family. He was the grandpa that never grew old.
The Australian dream
Jos and Josee Teunissen were only 19 and 24 when they left the Netherlands for Australia in 1956. Nienke imagines they saw Australia as a warm, sunny, idyllic place in which to raise a family. Although Jos was a successful accountant, he dreamt of opening his own takeaway shop.
The couple travelled aboard the SS Zuiderkruis and, upon their arrival, stayed temporarily at the Scheyville Migrant Hostel near Sydney. Jos quickly found work at the consumer goods manufacturer Kirby Holdings, and later at David Jones. Four daughters – Tanya, Sharon, Christine and Lisa – were born between 1957 and 1962. In images captured by government photographers, they embodied the ideal migrant family.
A turning point
The Teunissens' first years in Australia went well. Jos joined the local football team, friends visited their new house and the girls played in the garden. However, in June 1964 Jos was involved in a serious car accident.
Jos' car accident was a turning point. He was in a coma for over a month. Some family from the Netherlands came to help Josee and that was when she felt really homesick. And Jos’ behaviour changed. Since the accident he was a different man.
I think they had good contacts in Australia, but they came to the realisation that Australia was not their home. But the Netherlands was not their home either.
In 1965 the Teunissens returned to the Netherlands. Soon afterwards, they were involved in a second devastating car accident. Jos and Tanya survived, but Josee and the other three daughters lost their lives.
Jos remarried in 1967. He had two children with his new wife, Brigitte: a daughter, Gitte, and a son, Joep. Their marriage was short-lived, however, as Jos died of a stroke in 1972.
Joep, Nienke's father, was only two years old when his father died. Nienke reflects on her family research and the impact it has had on her father.
It's interesting to see the information in Australia is open because in the Netherlands it's very private. Whereas in Australia a lot of the information about my granddad is on the internet. If it hadn’t been for the National Archives of Australia, we could not see those documents ever. They protected the documents so well.
He's really excited to know more about Jos. I think it’s almost the feeling that he is a little bit of a legend because he didn’t know his father, but it’s nice to know more about that time and more about him.
Family connections
Piecing together her family’s records has meant a lot to Nienke.
Sometimes it doesn't feel like my own family. It’s like a story. Jos and Josee were so young too, that's why I can relate, because they moved to Australia when they were my age.
I've come to realise that if you know your past and your roots – where you come from – your identity and your own life become clearer. Knowing his story means I can relate to my granddad and it’s really nice to know that we have things in common.
[Edited excerpts from interview with Nienke Teunissen, September 2024]
