Dilshan Maduranga. whose chosen title was “GF Van der Hoeven and the Burgher Story of Ceylon”
GF Van der Hoeven was the writer whose letter gives us the central voice in this remarkable 1947 newspaper discussion about the Burgher people of Ceylon. In the letter, addressed to the Editor of the UNP in Colombo, Van der Hoeven wrote with a mixture of concern, frustration, affection, and resignation about the future of a community he believed was facing a serious turning point. His letter was dated 19 August 1947, and it appeared under the striking title, “Can We Let the Burghers Go.”
Very little personal biographical information about Van der Hoeven is provided in the newspaper clipping itself, so it would be misleading to invent details about his occupation, family, education, or later life. What we can understand clearly is the importance of his voice in this particular historical moment. He presented himself as someone deeply concerned about the future of the Burgher community and argued that its problems could not be solved by simply allowing people to drift away from Ceylon.
His letter provides a valuable glimpse into a community trying to understand its place in a country approaching independence. Ceylon was entering a new political era, and questions of identity, education, employment, culture, nationality, and belonging were becoming increasingly important. Van der Hoeven believed that the Burghers had contributed greatly to the intellectual and cultural life of the island, but he feared that the community was losing confidence in its future.
The Burghers of Ceylon were a distinct Eurasian community whose history was closely connected with the European presence on the island. Their ancestry included European and Sri Lankan backgrounds, and over generations they developed a distinctive society, culture, language, traditions, food, music, and way of life. Their history was deeply connected with the colonial history of Ceylon, especially the periods associated with the Portuguese and Dutch, followed by British rule.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the Burgher community had become an established part of Ceylonese society. Many Burghers were active in education, government service, professional occupations, business, journalism, music, sport, and other areas of public life. The newspaper letter reflects the belief that the community had an important intellectual tradition and that this contribution should not be forgotten.
One of the most interesting parts of the letter concerns identity. Van der Hoeven challenges the idea that a person could simply claim the Burgher identity without understanding what that identity meant. He refers to government statistics which placed the number of Burghers at about 33,000, while suggesting that only a much smaller number were connected with the two associations mentioned in the article, the Dutch Burgher Union and the Burgher Association of Ceylon.
The figures in the article are important because they reveal a debate taking place within the community itself. The question was not simply how many Burghers lived in Ceylon. The deeper question was what it meant to remain Burgher in a rapidly changing society.
Education was another major concern. Van der Hoeven argued that younger people were increasingly choosing employment and immediate independence rather than higher education. He believed that this could weaken the intellectual strength of the community over time. His argument reflects a broader concern found in many communities during periods of political and social change, where young people begin making practical decisions based on employment opportunities and personal security.
The writer also discusses cooperation. He believed that many Burghers were individualistic and that the community needed greater unity if it wanted to protect its cultural and social interests. He was concerned that people might be reluctant to join common causes unless those causes directly benefited them. For Van der Hoeven, community organisations were important because they could preserve traditions, support young people, and create a stronger sense of collective responsibility.
The article also reveals anxiety about the future of Western cultural traditions among the Burghers. Van der Hoeven believed that the community had to decide whether it wanted to preserve its heritage while adapting to the changing conditions of Ceylon. He did not present the answer as simple. Remaining in the country required adaptation, but adaptation also raised fears about losing the traditions that had shaped the community for generations.
Perhaps the most emotional part of the letter comes when Van der Hoeven considers emigration. He suggests that some Burghers were thinking about leaving Ceylon and beginning new lives elsewhere. His words show that this was not merely a question of economics. It was also a question of belonging. If a community no longer believed that it had a secure future in its homeland, emigration could appear to be the safest choice.
Yet Van der Hoeven did not want the Burghers to disappear from Ceylon. His closing argument was essentially an appeal to stay, cooperate, adapt, and preserve what could still be preserved. He believed that the community could have a better chance if its members worked together and adjusted themselves to the changing country rather than abandoning it.
The historical importance of this newspaper page lies in the fact that it captures a moment of uncertainty. In 1947, Ceylon was on the threshold of independence. The political and social structure of the island was changing, and communities that had lived within the colonial system were being forced to reconsider their future.
For the Burgher people, the years around independence would become an important period of transformation. Many eventually emigrated to countries such as Australia, Canada, Britain, and elsewhere, while others remained in Sri Lanka and continued to maintain their cultural traditions. The community therefore did not simply disappear. Instead, it developed into a global Burgher community with strong connections to Sri Lanka and to the countries where Burgher families later settled.
Today, the Burgher heritage remains an important part of Sri Lankan history. Their presence can be seen in family traditions, surnames, cuisine, music, literature, churches, clubs, schools, sports, and community organisations. Their story is also a reminder that the history of Sri Lanka cannot be understood through one community alone. It is a history shaped by many peoples, migrations, cultures, languages, and identities.
The 1947 letter by GF Van der Hoeven therefore deserves attention not simply because of its discussion of one community, but because it captures a universal human question. What happens when a community feels that the world around it is changing faster than its traditions can adapt. How does a people preserve its identity without becoming isolated. And how can a community remain connected to its homeland when opportunities elsewhere appear more secure.
The words on this old newspaper page carry the concerns of a particular generation, but the questions remain meaningful. The Burgher story is a story of heritage, adaptation, migration, belonging, and survival. It is also a story of people who helped shape the history of Ceylon and whose contribution remains part of the larger Sri Lankan story.
Information and photo credits.
Information based on the original newspaper clipping shown in the supplied photograph, including the letter titled Can We Let the Burghers Go, written by G F Van der Hoeven and dated 19 August 1947. The historical details in this post have been rewritten in fresh wording from the information visible in the original clipping. Photo credit, original newspaper photograph and page supplied with this post.
If you enjoy reading please follow my channel.
I will continue bringing you more inspiring biographies, fascinating life stories, and lesser-known stories around the world.
Follow the page and stay connected for the next story.
#BurgherHistory #BurgherPeople #CeylonHistory #SriLankanHistory #HistoryOfCeylon #SriLanka #Ceylon #ColonialHistory #Heritage #CulturalHistory #ForgottenHistory #HiddenHistory #1947 #HistoryStories
Information and source credits.
Information, historical details, migration information, and documentary material were consulted from the original 1947 newspaper clipping and from the historical information shared by Nick Van Der Hoeven through the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon community page, in his post dated 4 December 2024, titled Burgher Migration from Ceylon to Australia in the 1940s. The post discusses the 1947 letter written by his grandfather, G F Van der Hoeven, and the family’s journey from Ceylon to Australia in January 1948. These sources were used for historical reference and understanding, while this article has been independently rewritten in fresh wording and narrative form.
This wording makes it clear that you used the material as an information and documentary source, rather than claiming their photograph or post as your own.
Author
New article evidence https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CKK2Vuc8w/
Second article about Portuguese Burghers …. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D4DAN7mUN/
Dutch Burgher Union …. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19aoEudWma/
Reply
Edited
He left with his family (my family) for Australia 4 months lat
&&&&&&&&&&
I totally agree.
My best friend in the early years, a friendship that continues over the years is Errol Foenander, who lives in Melbourne. I think the Burghers left SL on the language issue.
Prior to Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka) gaining full independence in 1948, there were a number of Portuguese and Dutch Burgher communities both in the capital , Colombo, as well as in provincial towns. The Van der Hoevens were in Batticaloa , the Vanden Driesens and Ferdinands in Jaffna, the Ephraims in Galle and the Solomons in Matara. I recall in my early childhood days living in Batticaloa the Vander Hoeven children were students of Batticaloa Methodist Central College. Some were rather bright and carried away many Prizes at the school Prize Giving day. I believe they settled down in Perth, Australia.
References to Mr. GF Van der Hoeven in articles previously written by me on the subject of Burgher migration to Australia.
1. The White Australia Policy, Ceylonese Burghers and Alice Nona. (2012)
“The sentiments of a majority of the Burgher Community were expressed at the time in submissions to the Australian Authorities. On 21st June 1947, Mr. G F Van Der Hoeven, (a member of the Dutch Burgher Union, Secretary of the Burgher Association of Ceylon and President of the Burgher Settlement League) in a letter to the Chief Secretary Ceylon stated:”
‘I am now the President of the “Burgher Settlement League” which aspires to encourage migration to Australia of all Burghers – men, women and children – who are desirous of doing so, in order that they may find more suitable opportunities than here, to secure a sound economic future, to obtain a good standard of living and to continue to maintain and preserve their identity in terms of Western culture and outlook of life. There is no scheme available in Ceylon, not even by the United National Party, by which the Burgher can be a Ceylonese without having to absorb the national sentiments, culture, outlook, language, dress and even Religion of the overwhelmingly predominating Sinhalese community. The European or Britisher is an Imperialist and the Burgher, an interloper, a “Yes-man” and therefore unwanted too. Whatever assurances may be given by the Politicians and bureaucrats individually or collectively, there is no doubt that the Burgher has come to the end of his tether….’ 1
2.
Fortress White Australia: What early Ceylonese migrants (1949 to 1969) were up against.
‘Besides the individual and family applications, there were proposals for mass migration put forward at this time. The most significant of such proposals was the one promoted by the Burgher Settlement League, whose secretary was Mr. G F Van der Hoeven. Mr. van der Hoeven’s proposal was to set up a fund to assist Burghers to migrate to Australia. Migrants from the United Kingdom could under certain circumstances be eligible for a fully assisted (paid) passage to Australia. In Ceylon it was suggested that part or fully assisted passages could be extended to the mass migration scheme proposed by the Burgher Settlement League. Mr. van der Hoeven held out that the Burgher Settlement League could muster between 10,000 to 13,000 migrants. The plan involved THE charter of ships which could carry many migrants across to Australia (up to about 5,000 per trip).
The Australian Commissioner in Colombo was highly critical of the Burgher Settlement League and its grandiose plans. Meanwhile Canberra showed no interest in a scheme of part or full assisted passages from Colombo to Freemantle. The final nail in the coffin of mass migration was inserted when, in a Despatch dated 3rd February 1948, the Australian Commissioner very ironically noted: -‘As far as we can ascertain, only about nine members of his League have emigrated under his regis.’
For more information on G F Van der Hoeven refer to an article written by his grandson (or great grandson) Nick Van der Hoeven. Nick provided interesting insights on G F Van der Hoeven’s life in Melbourne after he migrated to Australia in the 1940ies or 1950ies.