-I was born in Belgium. When I was 8 years, as my father was Dutch, and that was the depression years we had to go back to Holland. So I grew up in Holland.

I went with the Dutch Army to Indonesia for two years… I met my wife before I went to Indonesia. I asked her if she wanted to wait for me. We wrote letters, she saved them all…

We had four boys. I had a pact with my wife that if the youngest was a boy we would go to Australia, and if it was a girl we would stay at home. And it was a boy. So several months later we are on the boat going to Australia… We thought with four boys to give them a good future it better to go to Australia than stay in Holland… there was a lot more opportunity. After 6 years we had a girl here, we couldn’t believe it.

Turning 90 hey, it was something. But I have to still go on, because I have been called after my grandfather, and he went to 99. How I’m going now, I think I might make it!
Did you have a dance at your party? No, my wife wasn’t there. My wife Johanna. That was my dance partner. We did English waltz, tango, fox trot, slow fox, we danced a lot my wife and myself… My daughter she can dance very well. But the boys are more interested in football… We could dance very well.”