Netherlands East Indies - Australia History
Inventaris Digitale collectie Project ‘Afscheid van Indië’
Inventory Digital Collection Project ‘Farewell to the Indies’
Migration history
From the Pitch to Perseverance: The Remarkable Journey of Bill Westerveld
Bill Westerveld’s life story is a testament to his enduring passion for football and resilience in the face of adversity. His journey in the sport took him across continents, representing his homeland at the youth level before embarking on a new chapter in New Zealand and later in Australia. Born Read more
Aviation and Shipping
The Lost Dutch Diamonds on Carnot Beach, Western Australia. New: video ABC 7:30 Report 12-11-2024
On the eve of the Netherlands East Indies’ capitulation, a series of evacuation flights brought Dutch citizens to the safety of Australia, with Broome emerging as a key evacuation hub. Among the heroic pilots, Dutch-Russian Captain Iwan Smirnoff stood out for his multiple successful evacuation missions, regarding it as a Read more
Migration history
Dutch Identity and Assimilation in Australia: an interpretative approach (thesis)
A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University by Wendy Walker-Birckhead – July, 1988 Abstract This ethnographic study examines Dutch identity and assimilation in Australia. Historically, Dutch migrants have been regarded as a highly assimilated group who, upon arrival in Australia, willingly abandoned Read more
Maritime History
Reports on Australia Dutch Heritage Days – 2012
In 2012, Australia Dutch Heritage Conferences were held in Canberra, Fremantle and The Hague with the support of the Netherlands Ambassador to Australia Willem Andreas . See also: Conference Papers and Keynote addresses by researchers Migrant (R)e-collections- Proposal for a workshop (historic) Project Migrant Australian and Dutch emigrants Dutch Australia At Read more
Dutch artefacts
Handkerchief of the Dutch ‘Comfort’ Women WWII
50 years of silence ‘How can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn’t tell them face to face . . . so I decided to write it down.’ Jan Ruff O’Herne’s Read more
Migration history
Robert Zindler migrated to Western Australia
This is information returned by Robert based on the questionnaire for the associated research projects titled: ‘Footsteps of the Dutch in Australia’; ‘Dutch Contact and Resettlement in Western Australia’; ‘The Evacuation Movement out of the Netherlands East Indies into Australia of Dutch Refugees during and after World War II’, and Read more
Military and Political History
B-25 bombers ordered by the Dutch ended up with USAAF
Urgent need to replace aging planes – 162 new planes ordered The Netherlands nor NEI and nor Australia for that matter were well prepared for war. In NEI the ML-KNIL were using the no longer up-to-date Martin bombers (from the Glenn L. Martin Company in the USA). They were the Read more
Military and Political History
Toni de Wolfe evacuated from NEI and became a driver for General MacArthur in Brisbane
The following story was told by Les Bryant and recorded in World War II Stories from Brisbane’s South West My aunt was one of MacArthur’s drivers in Brisbane, but her story started overseas. She actually arrived back in Australia about the same time as Macarthur, as an evacuee from the Read more
News and Updates
Presentation Dr Nonja Peters: Four M’s of Dutch-Australian history (16/10/2024)
At a recent DACC meeting Dr. Nonja Peters explored the rich maritime, World War II military, post-war migration, and trade (mercantile) heritage—collectively referred to as the “Four Ms”—that connects the Netherlands and Australia. This historical relationship dates from 1606 when Captain Willem Janszoon and his crew aboard the VOC ship Duyfken Read more