Bringing television to Australia: Annie and Wim’s contributions

Wim and Annie Overmeyer, Dutch migrants and Resthaven residents, share 90 years of life, love and resilience in Australia — from post-war migration to pioneering tech and building a family legacy.

Arriving in Australia in the 1950s from the Netherlands, Resthaven Onkaparinga Community Services clients, Mr Willem (Wim) and Mrs Johanna (Annie) Overmeyer have witnessed many innovations over the years – and they have even been instrumental in some of them. With warmth and humour, they marvel at the changes and the adventures they have been on.

"You cannot compare the differences between when we grew up and now,’ Wim says. ‘Everything has changed – people, customs, the way of living, and especially technology."

Both Wim and Annie were born in 1935 in the Netherlands, but they did not meet until they were each 20 and living in Australia.

"We came out to Australia looking for a better life,’ Wim says of his family, who arrived in Perth by plane and then went to Melbourne in May 1953. ‘There was no work in the Netherlands after the war."

Wim, who was one of five children, began working in a textile factory in Melbourne. After around 12 months, the whole family – including aunts and uncles and his sister and her husband – sold up and moved to Brighton in South Australia, where they were given a Housing Trust home – all in together.

"It was crowded," Wim says with a twinkle in his eye. "But we managed."

In South Australia, he began working as a labourer in the building industry.

The eldest of eight children, Annie was just 11 years old when sadly, her mother died, and she found herself looking after the home and her sibling while her father went to work.

"My father was a bricklayer," Annie says. "He often had an hour-and-a-half journey in both directions and would leave early and get home late."

Annie’s aunt and family had recently emigrated to Australia, and they encouraged her father to do the same.

"My father thought Australia was the land of “milk and honey”,’"Annie says. ‘He had heard that the climate was much better, which when you are a bricklayer, that makes a big difference to your work.

"But - I didn’t even know where Australia was! I told my father that I did not want to move, but he needed me to help with the family (the youngest child was 10 at the time)."

Annie was 20 years old, and legally, at 21 she would be able to make her own choice to stay.

"I have never seen a person (who hates bureaucracy so much) move so quickly from one department to the next to get everything sorted before I turned 21," Annie says. "It was a huge change, coming to Australia, learning the language and another culture. I did not want to come, but over time I got on with life and now I have no regrets about having come here."

Annie and her family travelled for four weeks on the ship to Australia, arriving in Melbourne and then moving to Adelaide, where her aunt and uncle lived. They arrived on Wednesday, and that Sunday, the family went to the Dutch Mass at a church in Prospect. After the service, the families were invited to socialise.  

"I met Wim the first night we went there," Annie says. "We danced and it was wonderful!"

Wim was away working for weeks at a time, so it was a few months before the couple met up again. Love sparked and in 1959 they became engaged, and then married on 23 May at Hindmarsh. They moved into a unit at Marino before saving a deposit for a home at Morphett Vale. It was there that they had their children – three boys in the space of two and a half years, and a fourth son born later – Wayne, Michael, Rudi and David.

Working life

One of Annie’s first jobs in Australia was with Phillips Electrical, and its parent company NV Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken of the Netherlands.

‘Television came to Australia in 1956, and I was part of it,’ Annie says proudly.

The components were produced and assembled in Australia but done so with instructions from NV Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken – which were written in Dutch.

"I was hired to help translate the instructions, but I could not speak very good English at the time," Annie says. "I had never seen the inside of a television before, but I was sat down with the instructions and the components. There was a man sitting behind me watching me as I put everything together. He wrote down exactly what I was doing and created the English instructions from there - that’s how it all started here in Australia. It was a really interesting and technically difficult job. I was there for about four years, only leaving when I was heavily pregnant with our first child."

Wim was working with one of the major builders in the state, however, a downturn in the market meant he was laid off – on the Friday before he and Annie were wed. At their wedding, Wim got to talking with one of the guests, who was in the process of having his house built.

"His builder was about three-quarters of the way through the work and didn’t seem to be getting any more done, so the owner asked me if I could come and do the work starting the next Tuesday! I said yes!"

Wim worked for him for quite a few years, while also studying at trade school to advance his carpentry and painting.

"I decided that I would start my own business," Wim says. "So, I did so and worked for myself for 66 years."

Because of his work, Wim had one of the first phones in the area.

"His number was 25," Annie says laughing.

When the children started at school, Annie began doing sewing and alteration work to make some extra money. Now, their home at Seaford Rise showcases many of her quilted items, which feature representations of life in the Netherlands, and life in Australia.

"It’s my favourite job," Annie says. "I have done sewing for years, and I enjoy it very much!"

Further downturns in the building sector saw Wim forced into bankruptcy. He and Annie felt strongly about paying their workers what they were owned, and so they economised and sacrificed to do so. To bring in extra income, Annie found a job working as a product demonstrator in shopping centres.

"On a Monday morning, I would be given the instructions," Annie says. "I’d put on my apron and demonstrate all different products we had for sale. I really got the hang of it and by the end I could sell anything!" 

These days

The couple have visited the Netherlands three times together since they each moved to Australia.

"We wanted to show each other where we had grown up,’ Annie smiles. ‘And visit friends and family we had not seen for many years."

The couple’s children have also visited the Netherlands to understand more about their culture. Wim and Annie now have nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with another one on the way.

Health problems have challenged both Annie and Wim, and Annie is now Wim’s carer. They live independently in their own home with support from Resthaven.

Wim says that the best thing he ever did was marry Annie, and that his secret to longevity has been working in partnership with her and being well looked after by her.

"We try to make the best of every day," Annie says. "Things can be hard, but we are still here, and we are happy."

Both Wim and Annie share their birth year with Resthaven – all celebrating 90 years in 2025! We are honouring those turning 90 in our 90^th year with a series of articles showcasing their stories – building a picture of life in South Australia over the decades.