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Back in the 60s and early 70s when we had no internet and no cable TV offering us English speaking channels like the BBC or CNN life was more difficult for foreign women living in Holland. The husbands were away working for 8 hours a day (often more) and we women were left to get on with daily life, looking after the children and home amongst Dutch speaking people with Dutch customs and food quite different to our own. The time was ripe for a club to help foreign women integrate in Dutch society. Susan and Janet persuaded me, Christine, to start the ball rolling! We asked our husbands to enquire at their work, and we stopped every person we heard speaking English to ask them to join us in the Hoeksteen church hall in Uithoorn if they were interested in starting a club. To our amazement 35 ladies turned up and the club was born on the first of October 1975. A committee was formed and a News Letter published. In December 1975 we had 55 members - and so our club flourished, with a peak of just over 70 members. We have featured quite often
in the local press, telling of our efforts to try to make
We have also taken part in the 4 evenings walks in Uithoorn. (a shorter version of the famous Nijmegen 4 day walk). Our greatest reward is when people return to the Netherlands and join us again saying “it’s like coming back ‘home’ again ”, or when they have told their friends of our existence and they come to join us. All English speaking foreign ladies can join our club. |
‘foreigners’
feel at home in the Netherlands and to make them aware of the typical Dutch
customs and celebrations. One year one of our members heard of an eastern
European family with 6 children, who were not able to let St.Nicolaas
’spoil’ their children, so unknowing to them we hired a St. Nicolaas
to visit them at home with presents for all the family.
We
have been represented at Queen Elizabeth ‘s birthday garden party
in the embassy in the Hague, and various “do”s at the consulate generals
residence in Amsterdam .plus a visit to H.M.S. Invincible and H.M.S. Ark
Royal.
On
Wednesday 21st August ’96 we featured in a TV programme on channel one.