The Benalla Migrant Camp in north-eastern Victoria provided temporary accommodation for approximately 60,000 European migrants between 1949 and 1967. Although less well known than the nearby Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre, Benalla played a distinctive role in Australia’s post-war immigration program. For many migrants, including families with Dutch connections, Read more
Although relatively few Dutch migrants appear to have stayed at Stuart compared with Australia’s larger reception centres, the hostel formed part of the national network established under Australia’s post-war immigration programme. It welcomed hundreds of migrants escaping the devastation of Europe and helped supply the workforce needed to develop North Read more
Following the Second World War, Australia embarked on one of the largest migration programs in its history. Between the late 1940s and the 1960s, thousands of migrants from the Netherlands chose Australia as their new home. While Bonegilla in Victoria is perhaps the best-known migrant reception centre, many Dutch migrants Read more
A DACC Research Series on Australia’s Post-war Migrant Reception Centres and Hostels Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived in Australia under the Commonwealth’s assisted migration schemes. For many, their first experience of Australia was not a suburban home or country town, but a Read more
By Catherine Mahoney The Netherlands Services Canteen was officially opened on Saturday, 29 January 1944 by the Netherlands Consul-General, Mr J. B. D. Pennik. The event was celebrated with a cocktail party attended by members of the Dutch community, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor, J. B. Chandler, and officers of the Australian Read more
Scroll down to read the announcement in Dutch. The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) is pleased to announce the beginning of a collaborative relationship with the Online Indisch Museum in the Netherlands, creating a new opportunity to strengthen awareness of the shared heritage that connects Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia. Read more
A Dutch naval engineer from the Netherlands East Indies to wartime Australia When the story of the Royal Netherlands Navy during the Second World War is told, the focus is usually on submarines, destroyers and the men who commanded them in combat. Less visible, but equally essential, were the naval Read more
In 2007, members of Adelaide’s Dutch community published a booklet that made an important contribution to preserving one of the lesser-known chapters of Australian wartime history. Titled The Dutch Contribution to the Defence of Australia during the War in the Pacific, 1941–1945, it was compiled by Ben van Essen and Read more
Since November 2007, a bronze plaque on Adelaide’s Pathway of Honour has recognised the Dutch servicemen and women who helped defend Australia during the Second World War. The plaque, donated by the Dutch community in South Australia, is located on King William Road in Adelaide. Its inscription reads: “Dedicated to Read more
When we think about the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Government-in-Exile during the Second World War, our attention naturally turns to Camp Columbia, the Dutch administration at Wacolin Brisbane and the military activities at Archerfield. These have become well-known chapters in the history of the Dutch presence in Australia. Yet one Read more