Fr Wim was born in the Netherlands and migrated with his family to Australia in 1959. He attended Patrician Brothers, Liverpool and Marist Brothers, Parramatta before entering St Columba’s College, Springwood in 1972. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Sydney on 2nd September 1978.

After serving 3 years at St Luke’s Parish, Revesby, Fr Wim was sent to Rome to obtain a Licentiate of Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, which he obtained in 1985. On his return to Sydney he was appointed lecturer in Biblical Studies at the Catholic Institute of Sydney where he served in various committees and was Academic Secretary until the end of 1990.

He had chosen to become part of the newly-created Diocese of Parramatta on its establishment in 1986. And so at the beginning of 1991 Bishop Bede Heather appointed Fr Wim as Assistant Priest at Holy Spirit Parish, St Clair. He became the first Parish Priest of Corpus Christi, Cranebrook on 1st February 1992 and stayed there until he was appointed Parish priest of St Nicholas of Myra Parish, Penrith in June 1997. In January 2003 he took up a new appointment as Parish Priest of St Bernadette’ Parish, Castle Hill.

Fr Wim became Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral at the request of Bishop Kevin Manning in August 2006.

Fr Wim is currently a member of the Council of priests, the College of Consultors and serves as Diocesan Censor. He is also Treasure of the Clergy Support Foundation and the Clergy Remuneration d Retirement Plan, Diocese of Parramatta.

He is also Treasurer of the Manly Union and visiting lecturer at the Institute for Mission at Blacktown.

His interests are classical music, movies and medieval murder mysteries.