Jann Knijnenburg was an Australian stage actress and model and matriarch of a theatrical family.
Early life
As a young woman Jann Freeman led a glamorous life a world away from the safe suburban upbringing she had enjoyed in Brisbane. Her striking beauty almost destined her for a career in modelling and acting, and at one time she performed on the stage with actors such as Barry Otto and John Stanton in the pioneering days of Brisbane theatre. She had trained as a librarian after graduating from All Hallows School in 1955, but became involved in a succession of beauty pageants in the 1950s including the Miss Australia Quest. Her second cousin was etiquette and modelling luminary June Dally Watkins.
Career
Then, in 1961, like so many other young Australians at the time, she travelled to the United Kingdom to make her fortune. She spurned lodging at the Australian expat enclave of Earls Court, opting to live in the theatrical area Gerards Cross. Her neighbours and friends included Margaret Rutherford, the British character actress best known for her portrayal of Miss Marple. After turning her back on the catwalk and the stage she worked in a number of high-powered jobs with Hallmark Cards, Schweppes and IBM, where she handled public relations, before landing the plum position of publicity at Australia House. Part of the job description involved planning functions and entertaining VIP guests, which on one memorable occasion in 1963 included The Beatles. The eldest of bank manager James Maguire Freeman and Clarice Maud Freeman's four children had come a long way.
Married life
But during her time in London she met a handsome young Dutchman on a blind date, Albert Knijnenburg, something which was to see her return to Australia and begin a new career as a suburban mum. Appie was training as an engineer in those days. Jann fell in love with him. They were engaged within weeks. While meeting Appie's parents in the Netherlands the couple learned that if they were married for a year they would be eligible for a migration bonus designed to lure Europeans to Australia. So, discussing the matter, they decided to immediately marry in Appie's home townWassenaar. Upon returning to London and their separate apartments, they went back to their old jobs until they could arrange a big church wedding.
Australia
The Knijnenburgs then set sail for Brisbane aboard the liner Aurelia, arriving in 1965. The first of four sons, Johannes, soon arrived on the scene, followed in quick succession by David and Nicholas. Despite the challenges of caring for three children under the age of three, and the cultural shock of adjusting to life as a suburban Brisbane mum, she embarked on what became a lifelong fascination with antiques. At the time of her death Jann was well known and respected as an expert in various areas of antiques including jewellery, porcelain and dolls. Life was almost perfect, marred only by the heartbreaking loss of several babies until a fourth boy, Michael, was born in 1974 at the height of the devastating Brisbane floods. Jann had been raised as a Catholic and later in life became heavily involved with the church. She put her Christian ideals into practice by taking dozens of troubled individuals under her wing.
In her last years Jann contracted pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare and incurable abdominal cancer. Undeterred, after she was diagnosed she and Appie decided to make the most of their remaining time together and went on a series of cruises, travelling to Tasmania, New Zealand and the Pacific islands. They stopped only when it became clear that Jann would be unable to make any more journeys. Jann also maintained her interest in the arts, recording a voice-over for a short film just weeks before she died.
