Dutch-born Ferdinand von Sommer left a trail of controversy across colonial Australia

Republished with permission. Original article was published in the Conversation on January 3, 2025 Author:Alexandra LudewigProfessor and Head of the School of Humanities, The University of Western Australia Disclosure statementAlexandra Ludewig does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit Read more…

Alexander Jan Reitsma: Dutch economist and global academic influence

Read his full Wikipedia article here. Alexander Jan Reitsma (1919-1982) was a distinguished Dutch economist whose career bridged three continents, making significant contributions to the fields of international economics and trade policy. Born in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, he began his academic journey at the Netherlands University for Economics, earning advanced Read more…

Premiere of a Pierre’s Mill Documentary on the emigration journey of the Looyen Family Melbourne, Brisbane

Holland Festival Melbourne March 15 Film Premiere: Dutch Immigration Story As part of the Holland Festival, there will also be screenings of the documentary Westlanders in Australia. The documentary tells the story of the Looyen family, who emigrated to Australia, as seen through the eyes of three generations. This “ordinary Dutch Read more…

The secret and dangerous operations of Australia’s and the Netherlands’ Pacific War flying boat crews

The Pacific War during World War II saw countless daring operations carried out by Allied forces, often in extreme secrecy. Among these, the contributions of Australia’s RAAF Catalina crews and their Dutch counterparts from the Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD) stand out as critical yet often overlooked components of the broader Allied Read more…