The Sydney-based Dutch Australian Weekly (DAW) newspaper was founded in 1951 by Alfred Schuurman and A. Hilbrink, with the assistance of Earl White from the Cumberland Newspapers.
In 1930 at the age of twenty-one, Schuurman left the Netherlands for the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), where he developed an interest in journalism. In 1937 he became an agent and correspondent for NEI newspaper the Java Bode. After the Japanese invaded the NEI in early 1942, Schuurman became the head of the NEI Government Information Service, based in Melbourne. He was in charge of the monthly news bulletin ‘Oranje’ for NEI exiles in Australia. In 1977 he was knighted in the Order of Oranje Nassau for services to journalism and publishing in Australia. Alfred died in 1982.
