The Australian Van Elsen family lineage traces its roots to August 1960, when Dutch Resistance veteran Johannes Laurens (Jan) van Elsen, his wife Mimi, and their eight children emigrated from the Netherlands to Australia in search of new opportunities and a brighter future.

Their journey began aboard a KLM flight from Amsterdam and led first to Sydney, before the family ultimately settled in South Australia. After a period at the Glenelg Migrant Hostel, the family established itself in Grange, and later Strathmont, where the Australian chapter of the Van Elsen story truly began.

What started as a single family seeking a new life would grow into multiple generations of Australians contributing to their communities through business, education, motorsport, music, the arts, and public service.

This website preserves those stories so they may be shared with future generations.

The voyage continues.