Migration history
The Dutch Houses of Coopers Plains: From Migration Story to Heritage Landmark
Sign petition to safe last of the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plain, Brisbane
Military and Political History
A KNIL captain’s son: Peter Van de Graaff’s childhood through war and migration
A Dutch–Indonesian childhood shaped by war Peter Van de Graaff was born into a Dutch family in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), today’s Indonesia. His father served as a captain in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger, KNIL). When Japan invaded the archipelago in 1942, the Read more
Migration history
Jan and Toos Janssens: A life of family, migration, and memory
The story of Jan (Johannes Wilhelmus Theodorus) and Toos (Catharina) Janssens is a vivid reflection of the Dutch migrant experience in Australia after the Second World War. Together, their recollections offer a rare and intimate portrait of growing up in the Netherlands during the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, the challenges Read more
Migration history
The Otterspoor brothers – Dutch-born Anzacs who fell for Australia
Dutch origins and migration The Otterspoor family came from Utrecht in the Netherlands. Twins Servanus (John) and Arnoldus (Harry) were born there on 19 November 1892, and their younger brother Franciscus Jacobus (Frank) followed on 15 November 1894. Their parents, Servanus Otterspoor and Hendrika Johanna van Kesteren, raised the family Read more
Military and Political History
Australian and Dutch Judges at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal
The Tribunal and Its Origins The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)—better known as the Tokyo Trials—was convened on 29 April 1946 by Supreme Allied Commander General Douglas MacArthur to prosecute Japanese wartime leaders. It was modelled directly on the Nuremberg Trials in Europe, adopting the same three Read more
Military and Political History
Betrayed and beheaded: Rob Hees and Party LION
The first Dutch-Indonesian intelligence party sent from Australia into the Japanese-occupied Netherlands East Indies Party LION was one of the earliest and most tragic Dutch intelligence operations mounted from Australia after the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies. In June 1942, three men left Darwin on a clandestine mission Read more
Military and Political History
Hendrik Johan de Haas: NEFIS agent behind Japanese lines
From occupied Java to Australia — and back into the Netherlands East Indies on clandestine intelligence Hendrik Johan de Haas was one of the Dutch intelligence officers who voluntarily returned from Australia into Japanese-occupied territory during the final years of the Second World War. Born in Batavia on 28 November Read more
Military and Political History
Captain‑Lieutenant‑at‑Sea G. B. Salm: Dutch naval liaison and intelligence officer in exile
Brief biography Gerlof Berthy (G. B.) Salm, born in Paramaribo on 11 September 1896, held the rank Kapitein-luitenant ter zee (equivalent to naval commander) in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). He arrived in Australia in early 1942 following the fall of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), and became the principal liaison Read more
Maritime History
Lieutenant Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich: a divided Dutch WWII command in exile
Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich (1886–1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy and one of the Netherlands’ most prominent military leaders during the Second World War. Born in Semarang, Java, he spent much of his career in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), becoming known for his strong leadership Read more
Migration history
From Groningen to the Harbour City: the global trajectory of Professor Richard de Grijs
Early life and education in the Netherlands Professor Richard de Grijs was born in Amsterdam and grew up mainly in Friesland, living from the age of eight in Wolvega. He was the first in his family to attend university, pursuing a path that would eventually take him across four continents. Read more