The revamped Neerlandia Dutch Club is now attracting both older and younger generations (below).
The Neerlandia Dutch Club will hold a fun-packed seniors event at its Myaree clubhouse on Thursday (June 1).
Members will enjoy a two-course lunch and a whole host of games including sjoelbak (Dutch shuffleboard), rummikub (a tile-based game), klaverjas and jokeren (Dutch card games) as well as the more familiar lawn bowls, putt-putt and pool.
The Neerlandia Dutch Club has a rich and long history in WA – it was formed in 1969 after several disparate, small Dutch clubs in the state agreed to create a federation to increase their financial muscle.
The earlier Dutch migrants arriving in the late 1940s made several attempts to establish Dutch clubs in WA, such as the Dirck Hartogh Society and the Australian Dutch League, but they all quickly folded.
During the early 1950s the Dutch migrants arrived in larger numbers and although many got on with starting their new lives, they still hankered for the Dutch culture and social life.
Early on The Neerlandia Dutch Club enjoyed a strong membership, but as the decades passed and the older members fell away, the club began to stagnate. In 2009 a new generation of Dutch folk joined and slowly but successfully revamped the club to attract a younger demographic.
They eventually sold their club house in Cambridge in 2016 and relocated to the The Rhein Donau Club on North Lake Road in Myaree – a move which has benefited both clubs.
“New Dutch immigrants are moving to Perth and although their reasons for moving to Australia may be different to those migrants of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the need to stay in touch with the Netherlands and with the Dutch culture is as prominent as ever,” says the Club.
You don’t have to be Dutch to join and if you fancy having a gander, pop down on the last Friday night of every month to enjoy a beer, Dutch snacks, Dutch music, some fun activities and the “Gezelligheid!” (conviviality).
To find out more about The Neerlandia Dutch Club or to join see dutchclubwa.com
The Seniors event will be held at The Rhein Donau Club from 10am-2pm on Thursday June 1.