It’s their life story

By Mara Sowden-Pattison
EVERY day Henk Boer finds the words to reflect on things that happen around him and in the wider world.
He knows the importance of not just keeping records but telling stories about a standard of living and behaviour that he was proud to be part of and which he hopes will continue in future generations.
A lifetime of conversations over family meals and correspondence across vast oceans has led the Yarra Junction author to produce a definitive record of the life and times of his family through eight generations.
The first known member of the Boer family was Evert Kyres, an orphan from the 17th century who moved from Hamburg in Germany, to live in Muntendam, a village in The Netherlands.
“This is about the eight generations from 1635 to the death of my parents in 1998,” he said.
“Our family moved to that area, the first ancestors, in 1635 and we didn’t move from there, so I’m involved with a history that I was personally told from the 1860s on.”
Henk said The Journey to the Promised Land was the stories of how his family lived and worked, how they progressed, what they achieved and where they failed.
“There was a standard of living, and a standard of behaviour and a code of conduct that I admired and which I would like to see continued in the next generations,” he said.
“I never knew of one divorce or separation, they had a terrible dedication to work and a decent code of living.”
Henk said his grandfather was a great storyteller and many of the stories came from him, but he also corresponded with a cousin via audio cassette for 25 years and personally visited his home town four times to gather information.
“I have no trouble telling stories, I’m surprised how the stories just flow,” he said.
“I write a greal deal about my mother and I was very close to her and I had no trouble getting into the mind of my mum, same with dad.”
The Boer family migrated to Australia after the war and, following a family tradition of more than 300 years, Henk and his brother set up a bakery in Wandin. Later they established Boer Bros, a food distribution business in Yarra Junction.
The company was well known in the valley and beyond, operating successfully for more than 35 years and employing up to 85 people.
Henk launched his book to a full house at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre in Warburton on Saturday 11 February, with special guests from the Dutch Embassy in Canberra.
One of Henk’s cousins, Piet and his wife Ans Boer travelled from The Netherlands in time for Saturday’s event and the book was launched by Dutch Consul Hans Nieuwman from the Dutch Consulate General in Melbourne.