WEEDA COPPER

Venture into any antique or collectibles shop in Australia and you may well find a piece of vintage, hand crafted Weeda Copper. The business began in my hometown of Ulverstone, Tasmania in the  early 1950s.

A lot of Dutch migrants came to Ulverstone and the neighbouring town of Penguin after WWII; mainly builders and farmers. They were all so well liked and very hard working. Cornelius (Kees) Weeda was a blacksmith by trade, so I guess that was the link to his creative metalwork. He began making copper items as a hobby and before long it became a flourishing business.

I went to school with Anne Weeda, and many other Dutch children.  However, at that time I was  unaware of  the traumatic years  many of those  families migrating from Holland had experienced.  For example, Kees and his wife Suzanna were active members of the Dutch Resistance during WWII.

Kees was eventually betrayed by an infiltrator and  sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp. He was among only 10 per cent of those who survived, but nevertheless he suffered greatly.  Remarkably, Suzanna continued the resistance work during his imprisonment, helping to hide some 200 people over a two year period while caring for her young children.

A NEW LIFE, AND WELL DESERVED SUCCESS

The reason pieces of Weeda Copper ended up all over the country was because visitors  were welcome to watch  the work being done at an expanded factory and showroom. Tourist buses  began  rolling  in every day, and most people left with a souvenir. At this point the business employed nine people.

I have a lot of copper items in my home, but this little jug is the only Weeda piece I own. I often use it as a vase and the most wonderful thing about it is that it never tarnishes. It must be  treated in some way, but how I have no idea.

Pieces are often advertised on eBay, which is where I spotted this candelabra.

The business closed soon after the following article appeared in The Canberra Times, in August 1989. By then Suzanna had died, and Kees was very elderly.

The Tasmanian source of some of the raw materials;

OPEN CUT COPPER MINE AT QUEENSTOWN

I found some little copper coloured candles, which enhance the glow of the copper jug.

What a contribution the Weeda family made to their homeland in the dark days of enemy  occupation . Subsequently, albeit in an entirely different way, they made their mark in  the little Tasmanian town of Ulverstone.

Some of the information in this article came from a delightful book that paid tribute to the Dutch migrants I grew up with. Unfortunately it is out of print now.

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