In 1944, the United States War Department published a small but detailed booklet titled Pocket Guide to the Netherlands East Indies. Produced as part of a broader series of cultural guides for American troops deployed overseas, this 80 pages booklet was designed to familiarise servicemen with the geography, people, customs, Read more…
John Rothwell, who anglicised his Dutch name, is the co-founder and chairman of Austal Limited. Rothwell’s leadership and vision were instrumental in transforming Austal into a global leader in shipbuilding. In 1990, John Rothwell penned a strategic paper that would shape the future of Austal. In this document, Rothwell outlined Read more…
I have lived in Forest Lake, Brisbane for years. But during World War 11,-I was in Java. When the Japanese invaded, the Dutch East Indies government escaped to Australia and ended up at Wacol, Brisbane. My family came later, in 1945. Dutch East Indies My grandfather was Polish, and he Read more…
Moving Home is a large-scale art installation and documentary project that exploresthemes of belonging and displacement through the physical relocation of a Queenslanderhouse from Brisbane, Australia to Eindhoven, The Netherlands. By dissecting the home’sfunction as a dwelling, an artefact, and a symbol of white settler identity, the projectengages with contemporary Read more…
Welcome Walls are monument dedicated to immigrants who have come to Australia and contributed to the nation’s development. It is a significant project aimed at acknowledging and celebrating the diverse heritage and stories of the millions of people who migrated to Australia from various parts of the world. They serve Read more…
Westlanders in Australia is a documentary that tells the story of the Looyen family’s migration to Australia, as seen through the eyes of three generations. This “ordinary Dutch family” built a new life in Australia by establishing their own business and raising children, who in turn started families of their Read more…
The HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, a Dutch minesweeper famed for its remarkable escape from the Japanese-occupied Netherlands East Indies by disguising itself as a tropical island, reached Australia in March 1942. After a refit and the installation of new ASDIC equipment, the vessel was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as HMAS Abraham Read more…
Prof Dr Hinze Hogendoorn is a leading Dutch cognitive neuroscientist whose research explores how the brain constructs real-time conscious experiences. With an academic journey spanning the Netherlands, the UK, the US, and Australia, he has become a global expert in the field of timing and perception. Now based in Australia, Read more…
With a hat tip to Tony Cunneen in Sydney, we were made aware of a folder in the National Archives of Australia: Netherlands Legation – Tasman Tercentennial (NAA: A6661.180). It begins with suggestions made in April 1942 to find an appropriate way to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Abel Tasman’s Read more…
Peter Sitsen (Bergen op Zoom, November 1, 1885 – Sydney, January 21, 1945) , a Dutch architect and civil administrator, played a pivotal role in establishing the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) in Brisbane during World War II. Known for his skill in organisational leadership and his dedication to the Dutch Read more…