Migration history
Catherina van der Linden at 111 oldest Dutch and Australian person (+2024)
Catherina van der Linden was born on 26 August 1912 in Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands to tailor Gradus Lambertus Johannes van Meegen (1876–1954) and Cornelia Maria Verstallen (1878–1946). She grew up in Nijmegen, Gelderland. On 23 August 1940, soon after the outbreak of war she married Johannes (John) Wouterus van der Read more
Art, Music, Film, Theatre
Dr. Cornelius Wouters, champion of Dutch culture.
Dr. Cornelius Willebrod Wouters (18 August 1896, Waspik -20 January 1978, Brunssum). During his youth and early adulthood he moved around the Netherlands. He met his wife in Waalwijk and after several other jobs became a translator for the Dutch National Mines (Staatsmijnen) in Heerlen. He migrated to Australia in Read more
Maritime History
MS Sibajak: From Netherlands East Indies mail ship to Dutch emigration ship
Sibajak was built for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd by the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde shipyard at Vlissingen in the Netherlands. She was designed for the company’s passenger and mail service between the Netherlands and the Netherlands East Indies. Between 1950 and 1959, Sibajak carried thousands of emigrants to Australia and New Read more
Personal stories
Surf Champion Dorothy de Rooy
Dorothy De Rooy (Vidgen) is a former professional surfer and champion who was born in Breda, Netherlands in 1948. When she was three years old, her family immigrated to Australia, and they eventually settled in Mona Vale, where her maternal grandparents were already living. Dorothy attended Mona Vale Public School Read more
Personal stories
Footballer John “Jack” Pannenburg
John “Jack” Pannenburg was born in1946 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. His family immigrated to Australia when he was young, and he grew up in Mount Gambier, South Australia. Pannenburg was a talented footballer, and he joined West Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in 1966. Read more
Dutch businesses in Australia
Adrian van Leest – potato king
Adrian van Leest was born in the Netherlands, where his father had a community garden plot. When the family moved to Australia in 1955, they lived in Creswick, Victoria, on a large block cultivated by Adrian from one end to the other. He was given a small allotment of nine Read more
Art, Music, Film, Theatre
Textile artist Annemieke Mein
Annemieke Mein was born in Haarlem, in 1944. Her Dutch heritage has had a significant influence on her art. Growing up in the Netherlands had a profound impact on her appreciation for nature and the environment. She spent much of her childhood exploring her grandparents’ garden in the Netherlands and Read more
Maritime History
The Duyfken – hosts the Compagnie Batavia
Scroll down for the picture gallery of the Compagnie Batavia sailing on the Duyfken on Sydney Harbour – May 2023 The first documented and undisputed European sighting of and landing in Australia was in late February 1606, by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon aboard the Duyfken. Janszoon charted the Australian Read more
Dutch businesses in Australia
The Willemse Family – major mushroom suppliers
Petrus (Piet) Wilhelmus Johannes Willemse was born on 13 July 1933 at Liessel, Deurne, Nord Braband, Netherlands to Johannes Jozef Willemse (b 27.01.02 d 27 Oct 1944) and Francina Petronella Wilhelmina Spreeuwenberg (b 30 Nov 1906 D April 1968).