DE JONG, Wim and DEE, Dorothy

ORIGINALLY FROM THE NETHERLANDS, Huin Willem De Jong was the son of of Jan de Jong. The skater was brought to Australia by fellow Dutchman Armand Perren and chose to remain there. He arrived with the touring show Ice Follie 1950 that year. This production began in Zurich in 1948 and featured 21-year-old British Champion Marion Davies, who had secured seventh place at the Winter Olympics, alongside Gerda Bionstad, a three-time champion from Norway, and others. De Jong, who was promoted as a Dutch Champion in the show, frequently skated on stilts and favoured performance skating over teaching.

Cissy Trenholm later became part of the fifty-member cast during its Australian tour after her time on Broadway with Sonja Henie and others. The show generated an impressive revenue of 750,000 pounds within the first two and three-quarter years, with producer David N. Martin claiming it was the highest ticket sales achieved by a single show in Australia.

Local resident Dorothy (Dottie) Hickey (Dee, Thorne, de Jong) wed Sydney ice hockey player Geoff Thorne at Bondi in 1952. The couple performed together in ice shows and were close friends with Pat Gregory and Hal Downey. Dorothy then teamed up with De Jong in an adagio skating duo, gaining fame for their Apache routine as Wim de Jong and Dorothy Dee. They toured internationally with Holiday On Ice for three years, performing across Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Africa, Portuguese Angola, and the Belgian Congo.

Upon returning to Australia, the duo showcased their talents in Frosty Follies on the Tivoli Circuit, skated in ice shows by Pat Gregory and Hal Downey, and later performed in Eddie Ash's production. In Gregory's ice show, they inspired Melbourne professional skater Carie Richardson to pursue a successful international career in adagio skating. "I was mesmerized by their Apache number and watched it from the wings every night," Carie recalled. "They were my motivation to become an adagio skater."

In the early 1960s, the couple took on the management of the Ice Rink at Bondi Junction in Sydney, where De Jong also introduced Bill and Edwina Hewison to adagio. “Wim taught us Adajio,” wrote Bill, “and after he passed, I used to do a small number with Dot.” Edwina remembers Wim as a good coach. The Hewisons eventually took over de Jong's role in ice shows. Olympic speed skater Jim Lynch, who skated at Bondi, fondly recalls de Jong as "a very nice man who played a significant part in my journey by teaching me how to skate better." Additionally, De Jong managed the rink located above the pool at Lidcombe.

Wim and Dorothy traveled to New Zealand alongside Pat Gregory in Harry Wren's Ice Follies 1964.

Tragically, De Jong passed away unexpectedly in 1969 after completing a performance and retiring to his dressing room during the Eddie Ash Ice Varieties show at the South Sydney League club. He had made Australia his home for nearly two decades before his untimely death. Meanwhile, Dorothy continued to perform in Pat Gregory's ice shows throughout the 1970s. Dorothy and Wim had a son named Darren.

(Special thanks to Tracey-Lee Downey)

Wim de Jong Ice Shows
Eddie Ash Ice Varieties, Sydney, late-1960s
Harry Wren's Ice Follies 1964 New Zealand Tour
Ice Follies of 1962, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Apr 1962
Ice Follies of 1962, Theatre Royal, Adelaide, 22 Feb 1962
Ice Follies of 1962 (matinee performances), Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, 26 Dec 1961
Ice Follies of 1962, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, 26 Dec 1961
Frosty Follies, Tivoli Theatre, Melb, 13 Sep 1961
Holiday On Ice, touring Europe to India, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Africa, Portuguese Angola and Belgian Congo, late-50s
Spice and Ice, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, Jun 1956. Bulletin 6 Jun 56
Spice and Ice, Tivoli Theatre, Melb, 18 Feb 1956
Rose Marie on Ice, Theatre Royal, Adel, SA, 22 Oct 1954
Cinderella On Ice Princess Theatre Melbourne Jan 1954 (The Bulletin Vol 75 No 3856)
Ice Follie, 1953 (AWM 21 Jan 1953)
Ice Follie, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, 26 Dec 1952
Ice Follie, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, 20 Apr 1951
Ice Follie, Theatre Royal, Adelaide, 30 Jun 1950
Ice Follie 1950, Theatre Royal, Adelaide, 30 Jun 1950
Ice Follie 1950, His Majesty's Theatre, Melb, 8 Aprl 1950

Dorothy Dee Ice Shows
Harry Wren's "Ice Follies 1964" New Zealand Tour
Ice Follies of 1962, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth Apr 1962
Ice Follies of 1962, Theatre Royal, Adelaide 22 Feb 1962
Ice Follies of 1962, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, 26 Dec 1961
Ice Follies of 1962 (matinee performances), Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, 26 Dec 1961
Frosty Follies, Tivoli Theatre, Melb, 13 Sep 1961
Holiday On Ice, touring Europe to India, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Africa, Portuguese Angola and Belgian Congo, late-50s
Spice and Ice, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, June 1956