This article from Robyn van Dijk from the Australian War Memorial as presented at the symposium Allied Co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK, organised by the Camp Columbia Heritage Association in August 2025, highlights a little-known but important chapter in Dutch–Australian wartime relations: the evacuation and rehabilitation Read more
During the Second World War, northern Australia became a crucial operational base for Allied air forces defending the continent and supporting offensive operations into the Netherlands East Indies. Among the aircraft deployed in this theatre was a Dutch-operated North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, serial N5-156, whose dramatic loss in October Read more
Early life in Noordwijk aan Zee Agatha Neletta Koers was born in 1916, during the First World War. Although the Netherlands remained neutral, her family story recalls shortages and flooding that affected daily life. She grew up in Noordwijk aan Zee, where her father was a minister in the Gereformeerde Read more
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) and Badan Pelestarian Pusaka Indonesia (BPPI) – the Indonesian Heritage Trust – have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a framework for cooperation focused on the shared heritage of Indonesia and the Netherlands in Australia. The agreement recognises that the histories of Indonesia Read more
The Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum in northern Victoria preserves the history of one of Australia’s most important inland flying-boat bases during the Second World War. Established at the former RAAF Lake Boga base near Swan Hill, the museum interprets the secret repair and maintenance work carried out there on Read more
Introduction The wartime history of No. 18 Netherlands East Indies Squadron RAAF is closely connected with northern Australia. From 1942 onwards the Dutch-manned squadron operated North American B-25 Mitchell bombers from a network of airfields around Darwin in support of Allied operations against Japanese forces in Timor and the former Read more
Dutch bombers over northern Australia During 1942 and 1943 No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) RAAF Squadron operated North American B-25 Mitchell bombers from northern Australian airfields as part of Allied operations against Japanese forces in Timor and the Netherlands East Indies. These missions included armed reconnaissance, strike operations and maritime Read more
Introduction The Broome Historical Museum, operated by the Broome Historical Society, is one of Western Australia’s most important regional museums and a key institution for preserving the town’s maritime, multicultural and wartime history. Located in a small heritage precinct overlooking Roebuck Bay at Town Beach Reserve, the museum occupies several Read more
Introduction Among the most tangible reminders of the dramatic Dutch wartime presence in Western Australia is a salvaged engine from a Dornier Do-24 flying boat, now preserved in the Broome Historical Museum. Recovered decades after the Japanese air raid on Broome in March 1942, this artefact provides a rare physical Read more
In an article published in The Sunday Mail on 19 January 2025, journalist Jayne Keogh reflects on the long and often under-recognised contribution of Dutch migrants, soldiers and officials to the development of Queensland. The story places this shared history in a broader timeline that begins in 1606, when the Read more