Maria Douwes started her career at Time-Life International, the Book Department. After that she worked at the PR-Departments at De Volkskrant (national newspaper) and the Cinetone Filmstudios.
Thereafter she started her own Communication-Organisation Company and made the book’ Noord Nu’ (city district North Amsterdam) with Theo Dohte.
For the city district Centre of Amsterdam she contributed to the book ‘De Vernieuwde Dam’, about the refurbishment of the Dam Square.
For the city district Amsterdam Old South she wrote the book ‘100 jaar Albert Cuyp Markt’ together with Marcella van der Weg, about the most famous market in The Netherlands. Queen Beatrix came to visit, participated in the celebrations and received the first copy of the book.
In 2005 Maria wrote the book ‘Hongaren in Nederland, Nederlanders in Hongarije – 50 jaar na 1956’ about Hungarians in The Netherlands and the Dutch in Hungary- 50 years after the uprise of 1956.
In 2008 she wrote the book ‘De Zon komt op in Nieuw-West’ about people, role models, in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Amsterdam.
In 2021 she wrote the book: Back to Australia. From this book we abstracted three articles:
The migration of the Douwes Family on the Zuiderkruis 1960/1961
The Douwes Family at Wacol Migrant Centre Brisbane – early 1960s
Dutch migrant family Douwes settles in in Inala, Brisbane – 1961
