Beeb Birtles was born on 28 November 1948 as Gerard Bertelkamp in Amsterdam, Netherlands to Gerard Bertelkamp senior (born 30 May 1923), a carpenter and building contractor, and Elisabeth Hendrika (née Deubel on 8 January 1924) [REF].
The Bertelkamp family emigrated to Australia in September 1959 aboard MS Willem Ruys [REF].