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Creating Community
Posted by Theo Muller on 9 January 2013 | 1427 Comments
Tags:
community,
dutch,
New Zealand,
create
I have been involved in the NetherlaNZ Foundation for a couple of years and the Trustees made me Chairman about a year ago. It’s been a full-on year and I have met more Dutch immigrants or second or third generation descendants of Dutch immigrants in that year than in all those years since I came to New Zealand in the 70’s. There are Dutchies everywhere and there isn’t one living soul in New Zealand who doesn’t know somebody of Dutch origin – surely no more than two degrees of separation! But what has taken me by surprise is the number of clubs, committees, incorporated societies, formal and informal groups of Dutch immigrants and their descendants and most of these groups have similar goals and objectives; bringing the Dutch community together socially or culturally by organising events, activities and projects, some of them with a local accent and others of a regional or even national nature. It is absolutely fantastic that there are so many motivated people wanting to be involved in these projects and make themselves available, roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. I take my hat off to those involved in the very successful Molen Project in Foxton. What an asset, not only for Foxton, but for the whole of New Zealand. The Dutch Connexion, another group of enthusiastic Dutch immigrants with a dream of ambitious proportions, wants to build a Dutch museum, “Ons Museum and Cultureel Centrum”. The drivers behind that project devote all their spare time to realising their dream. I salute you.
Over the last 20 years, the NetherlaNZ Foundation has also realised several major projects; I mention the recent travelling Anne Frank Exhibition and the annual World Press Photo Exhibition as examples of cultural events with links back to The Netherlands.
While I don’t wish to trivialise the enormous successes achieved by individual groups and organisations as clearly demonstrated above, I keep thinking about what we as Dutch immigrants and their descendants could achieve if we were somehow to work together, share resources, share talent, think as one.
I would be really interested in hearing what your thoughts are and invite you to post your response to the above. I personally think this would be a very useful debate.
