Smooth sailing for immigrant couple

By Ed Merrison
MARRIED life has been a long and happy journey for a Monbulk couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this week.
Johannes and Helena Vanbergenhenegouwen were married in Wateringen, Holland, on 8 December 1955 and had barely ventured out of the Netherlands before their big day.
Five days after celebrating their nuptials, the couple were on a boat bound for Australia, where they arrived on 16 January 1956.
John and Helen, as they are now known, have lived in Monbulk since their arrival, and immersed themselves in Australian life from the moment they stepped off the boat.
When the couple were offered English classes on either a Tuesday or a Thursday, they chose both, repeating lessons to grasp the language and integrate as quickly as possible.
Their youngest son, John, says the way they adapted to their new home was something he admired.
“The thing I’m most proud of is that they came out here and basically become Aussies,” he said.
The couple have made the most of their English lessons, enjoying a good chat out in the community or every week in church, either at St Thomas More in Belgrave or St Pauls in Monbulk.
“Dad basically goes to the shop for milk and comes back two and a half hours later,” son John said.
The Vanbergenhenegouwens have returned to the Netherlands twice to attend family occasions, and they have also travelled together extensively across Australia, visiting every state and territory.
The couple share a love of flowers and gardens, and enjoy the Yarra Ranges for attractions such as the National Rhododendron Gardens and the Yarra Valley Orchid Society.
The family home is always full of flowers, and son John recalls the time Helen looked out at their conifer garden and said she wouldn’t mind a bit more colour.
“The next day dad chainsawed the trees down and planted an entire rose garden,” he said.
According to John Jr, the relationship has always been characterised by give and take.
“Dad will do anything to please mum because it makes him happy and mum will do the same for dad.
“In a sense they set extremely high goals to aim for in terms of friendships and relationships,” he said.
When they set sail for the Southern Hemisphere, both John and Helen left behind large families; Helen had 10 siblings and John was one of 10.
None of Helen’s siblings has survived, but John still has three sisters and four brothers.
Of those, only John’s sister, known affectionately as Tante (Auntie) Beb, has made the trip from Holland.
Tante Beb will join John and Helen’s four children, Gabriel, Helen, Allie and John at the anniversary celebrations.
The couple’s seven grandchildren and three step-grandchildren will also attend the event, ensuring John and Helen’s loving example spreads through the generations.
The party, a 40-strong gathering of family and friends at the Cuckoo Restaurant in Olinda on Saturday, 10 December, looks set to be a fitting celebration of a long voyage of love.