The Netherlands Embassy in Canberra is delighted to announce that the documentary ‘The Past Ended on Mango Street’ funded by their Shared Cultural Heritage Programme, is now available to watch online. The film-making team of Jean-Baptiste Brelière and Thomas Watson spent 6 years making the documentary. ‘The Past Ended on Read more…
In October 2019 Dutch Premier Mark Rutte paid a three day working visit to Sydney. There was an official reception at the State Library of NSW where Premier Rutte received a tour along the various Dutch artifact. For this special occasion the Library put the famous Abel Tasman on display Read more…
The Dutch – Australian connection here is a bit convoluted, but as it is too interesting to not cover it, so please bear with me. It starts with the van Texel family. Jan Cornelis van Texel was one of the first Dutchmen that arrived in America. He was one of Read more…
Introduction to the publication (2011). ‘God made the world but the Dutch made Holland’ is an old saying referring to the way the Dutch shaped their nation by reclaiming land. It is with this same sense of determination that the Dutch applied themselves to the task of assimilating into the Read more…
Updated with newspaper article from 1945 below It is 80 years ago this month that this heroic, but at the same time disastrous Battle took place. By that time the Dutch Allied Forces had already been involved in the war in SE Asia for three months. Here they had occurred Read more…
Personal report from Paul Budde about his meeting with Ayaan Hirsi. Written in 2007 Her full name is Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She was born in Somalia, in Africa. This is a worn-torn country, which already for many decades doesn’t have a proper government, it doesn’t have a banking system nor Read more…
Convict Trail Chairman and instigator Paul Budde received one of the inaugural Heritage Volunteer Awards – on 28 August 2002 from the Deputy Premier, the Hon Dr Andrew Refshauge, at a special ceremony in the NSW State Library. Paul moved from Oss in the Netherlands to Sydney, Australia in 1983, Read more…
Persoonlijk verslag van Paul Budde mbt zijn deelname aan het bezoek van Kroonprins Willem Alexander en Prinses Maxima aan Australia In mijn geval zijn er weken van voorbereidingen aan voorafgegaan met allerlei telefoontjes van en naar de Nederlandse ambassade maar voor de organisatoren zelf zijn er maanden aan hard werk Read more…
Press release Prime Minister Bob Hawke 27 September 1988 (historic) Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands will make an official visit to Australia from Monday October 24 to Saturday November 5. It will be the first time a reigning Dutch monarch will have Read more…
My parents and 6 mt old brother arrived on the MS Fairsea, 2 April 1952 Jennifer remembers going to the Catholic Church at Wacol. Father Nouwens was the priest. He buried my 11 yr old brother Louie van den Elsen at St Brendans, Moorooka. (he was accidentally killed by a Read more…