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 Emptying the house of a deceased aunt in 2008 gave the lives of the brothers Teunisjan and Jan van Ewijk a totally unexpected turn. In the house they found a picture of two cute girls. One of the girls looked just like grandma.
The quest of Teunisjan and Jan for their halfsisters in Indonesia
An uncle told the brothers that their father Gijsbert had a relationship with an Indonesian woman during his military service in the Dutch East Indies in the town Menado. Two children emerged from that relationship. The two cute girls on the picture seem to be half sisters of Teunisjan and Jan, about whom their father, who deceased in 1989, never mentioned a word. Like so many young men unbound, their fathers military unit RI 5-2 was stationed in Indonesia for eighteen months from 1947 onwards. After returning to the Netherlands he met a Dutch woman that he married in 1951. Has she ever known of the relationship and the two little girls in Indonesia? To the brothers this is unclear. Their mother died in 1974.
Airmail
Someone in the family still can remember the Indonesian airmail letters in the 50s to ask for financial support. But many questions remain unanswered. The girls in the picture are of the age of toddlers while father Gijsbert stayed in Indonesia only eighteen months. The photo is printed in Utrecht and thus was probably sent from the Netherlands. By whom?
The news struck the brothers like a bomb and the family Van Ewijk started an intense search. They posted a call for information in Checkpoint, a monthly magazine for Dutch veterans. It provided much response from veterans of 5-2 RI, who have known father Van Ewijk well. He was often found on a plantation and the relationship with the woman was an open secret. One of his buddies told that Gijsbert was not allowed to say goodbye to her when the military unit was moved. This to prevent a tragedy.
Thrilling quest
Another serviceman had a girlfriend there too, but ignored the rules of the armed forces: just before departure to the Netherlands he stepped off the plane to return to Menado and be reunited with her. This will become a long and happy marriage. Through the wife of this veteran, who has many relatives in Menado, the brothers Van Ewijk contacted the local press to find out about the fate of the two girls. Soon the brothers will inspect the personnel military file of their father in the Information Centre in in Kerkrade, and they hope that there are more clues to find. The family wants to do everything possible to find the girls, who must now be women over sixty years. Now that the shame has faded away, the secret has turned into a thrilling quest for the ultimate denouement: finding their two half-sisters on the other side of the world!
Do you (probably) have a half brother or half sister in Indonesia, fathered by your father when he was a military man in Indonesia in the period 1945 - 1950? Or did your father ever tell you about this? Please let us know! Contact us |
The documentary
