ike many of Australia’s iconic property businesses, Lendlease was built on the sweat, grit and engineering nous of a European immigrant hungry for a better life. As a Dutchman of working age, Gerardus “Dik” Dusseldorp spent time in Nazi forced labour camps, eventually escaping with his wife and daughter and returning to the Netherlands in 1944. He gained experience as a home builder, quickly moving up the ranks, and was eventually sent on to Australia in the 1950s
