Vale Hetty Verolme (February 1930 to July 2024)

Fremantle Press extends its condolences to the family and friends of writer Hetty Verolme who passed away on Tuesday 9 July 2024, aged 94.

Hetty worked with Fremantle Press on two books, each one sharing her harrowing experiences as a child in Bergen-Belsen. The Children’s House of Belsen and Hetty: A True Story were published in 2000 and 2009 respectively, with the first book being awarded the FAW Christina Stead Award by the Fellowship of Australian Writers.

Hetty was just 12 years old when she and her family were transported to the Westerbork camp and then to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1943. Hetty and her brothers Max and Jack were sent to Barrack 211, or the children’s house, where Hetty became known as the ‘Little Mother’ for her part in looking after the younger children. With the help of Sister Luba, a Polish prisoner, Hetty and her brothers survived the experience but by the time they emerged from the camp, Hetty had lost more than 100 family members.

Returning to the Netherlands after the war, Hetty was reunited with her parents and built a successful career in the fashion industry before emigrating to Australia and eventually becoming a property developer. Here, she was presented with the Most Successful Migrant award in 1977 and was on the Australian Ethnic Affairs Council, working tirelessly for community organisations and charities.

Fremantle Press CEO said only was her story one of extraordinary courage, but it was told in a style that was both powerful and accessible. Alex said, ‘Hetty was committed to making sure each new generation remembered the Holocaust. She endured enormous hardship during her childhood yet she was able to thrive and had the strength to revisit her darkest hours in order that her grandchildren and readers everywhere could understand and never forget the past.’

Hetty’s funeral will take place at 12.45 pm on Monday 22 July at the Karrakatta Cemetery and will be streamed at http://streaming.mcb.wa.gov.au/Index?ID=18086237459247854259. Attendees are asked to wear a splash of hot pink.  In accordance with the family’s wishes, in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Children of Belsen and the Holocaust Trust, www.holocausttrust.com.au, of which Hetty was a founding trustee.