The story of Sinterklaas (Sint Nicolaas) is of course well known, there is plenty of information on the internet about this typical Dutch tradition. Although it has changed over the years due to changes in society e.g. the arrival of radio, television, internet as well as an increasingly more multicultural Dutch population, it is still very uniquely Dutch and a mix of the old and the new.
In the DACC archives is a photograph of Sinterklaas celebration at the home of Johanna Stas with Cor Merckx as Sinterklaas. (Cor Mercks a well-known figure in the Dutch community as president of the NSW Klaverjas Federation).
Sinterklaas at the home of the Budde family in Roseville, Sydney, in 1984. Sinterklaas is Peter van Bruinessen en Pieterman is Astrid van Bruinessen.
Dutch migrants Annie and Peter Rijs founded Australian food company Patties Foods. Anna Maria (Annie) Rijs, née Vogels, was born in Haarlem on 15 August 1921. She was the youngest of three children, with older Read more
This article (English and Dutch versions) was written and shared with DACC by Keith Paulusse. The Dutch text is below the English text. I had the incredible opportunity to hear a remarkable story from one Read more
This article is based on detailed historical notes generously provided by the Drijver family, who have preserved accounts shared privately by Robbie (Rob) Drijver in the final years of his life after the expiry of Read more
