Double dutch
A Dutch couple’s story in the land of adventure
Toowoomba was the perfect place to settle for Dutch couple; the charismatic Bemir and stunning Cheryl (who graces our cover this month)
Research has long flirted with the idea that some of us have what is known as ‘the adventure gene’; a variant in the dopamine receptor D4, which means ordinary thrills do not cut the mustard. Whether you subscribe to this theory or not, it cannot be denied that some people have a greater taste for adventure than the rest. A Dutch pair now calling Toowoomba home indeed have the adventure gene, for one day they simply threw it all in and moved to the other side of the world. When Bemir Vodencarevic met his partner Cheryl Rijsenburg at a party for the first time in the Netherlands, it was the beginning of a beautiful romance and a beautiful adventure. Tall and animated with an enthusiasm for life that is instantly infectious, it’s easy to see why he caught the attention of the striking Cheryl. “I love Australia for the nature — I love camping and fishing and four-wheel driving — I have always wanted to move to Australia,” says Bemir. “And so on our second date I said to Cheryl, ‘are you down to move to Australia?’” “She looked at me and said, ‘I have to think about it.’” It took a little while, but one day Cheryl turned to her partner and said, ‘ok…let’s do it, let’s move to Australia!’
Both were leaving a lot behind. The National Disability Insurance Scheme was rolled out in the Netherlands in 2001 and Bemir ran his own business, contracting as a child safety and disability services officer.
Cheryl owned and ran a beauty salon and had built up a loyal customer base.
“We quit our jobs and sold everything; I took all my clothes to the market to sell and I told all my clients we were moving to Australia,” Cheryl says. “I think we gave our parents a little bit of a heart attack.” Bemir’s family had fled war-torn Bosnia in 1995 to settle safely in the Netherlands.
“My mum kept saying to me, why do you want to move to the other side of the world?”
“And people would say to us, ‘be careful in Australia, everything in that country is trying to kill you!’”
But the pair would not be dissuaded and in December 2014, moved to Australia on working holiday visas.
“There’s a whole world out there — you can learn from other cultures and experience new things, so why stay in one place?” Cheryl asks simply.
Australia ticked two requirements for the well-travelled pair; plenty of sun and the language spoken is English.
After just a few months living in the sunburned country they decided a year was not enough and attained sponsorship through Bemir’s work.
They were lured to Toowoomba by the abundance of employment for skilled workers in their age demographic. “So far we love it,” Bemir says. “In three months in Toowoomba we have met more like-minded people who we connect with in a meaningful way than in 10 months living at the Gold Coast.”
“I can’t believe that in just two hours’ drive you can find such a different mentality.”
The couple is currently living on 5.5 acres at Torrington (between Toowoomba and Charlton) with a sheep and their dog, and plans to buy two goats to name after their mums, Elly and Mina.
Bemir is like a fish returned to water in Australia — the weekends for him are filled with exploring Flagstone and Murphys Creek.
“I’m very impressed by the blend of city, country and outback,” he says.
“I love that I can drive to four-wheel drive tracks or to the city in Brisbane if I want — I really see Toowoomba as a gateway between regional and coastal Australia.”
Their favourite local places include Ground Up Espresso Bar, where Cheryl works, and their home at Torrington where they love to host three-course meals and listening to good music with friends.
Nearby influences like Milan and Paris ensure fashion is big in the Netherlands, and it was here Cheryl began modelling and striding down catwalks.
“They have really cool events there, runways set up in old churches, they are really beautiful,” Cheryl says.
Cheryl loves catwalk modelling, saying the thrill of it is incredibly fun.
She walked for the opening of Clique Modelling in Toowoomba and also in the Runway to Runway gala banquet fashion parade at the Jondaryan Woolshed in September.
Her fantastic posture can be credited to a lifetime of professional dancing — from ballet to contemporary, she attended a professional dance school and appeared on television.
“Maybe that’s why I’m so comfortable with walking runways,” she says.
“When I was dancing I would have to do really complicated things, now I just have to walk.”
Bemir and Cheryl want to eventually dedicate 12 months to touring around Australia, but right now are revelling in building their life together in Toowoomba.