Among the many Dutch families who helped shape post-war Australia, few have left such a lasting legacy as the Van Berkel family. Today, their name is synonymous with tulips, flower bulbs and horticulture in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges. Yet behind this successful family business lies a remarkable migration story—one that begins Read more
Minister, migrant advocate and community builder The story of Dutch migration to Australia is often told through the experiences of the migrants themselves. Less well known are the men and women who helped them settle into their new country. Among the most influential was Rev. Drs. Cornelis (Cor) Uidam, a Read more
Teacher, community volunteer, alderman, Lord Mayor, Legislative Councillor. It is normal for the eldest son to inherit the farm. This has been true over the centuries, and in many places in the world. Jos (Adrianus Johannes Ansems), known to all as Lange Jos, refused the privilege. He had no heart Read more
When he was 18 years old, Jan van Herweynen was asked by his father to travel to Tasmania, purchase a piece of land and begin building a house. Jan was accompanied by his cousin Bob Brinkman and the sister of his mother, Janny de Jonge. They left Schipol airport in Read more
For centuries the Dutch connection with Australia has largely been told through stories of exploration, trade and shipwrecks. Dutch navigators were the first Europeans to chart much of Australia’s coastline, leaving traces of their journeys scattered along the continent’s shores. Today, those stories continue to be uncovered and interpreted through Read more
Dr William Graham Gosewinckel AO was a descendant of one of Australia’s early Dutch settler families and went on to become one of the nation’s most influential telecommunications pioneers. As the founding Chief Executive of AUSSAT, Australia’s first domestic satellite communications company, he helped lay the foundations for Australia’s modern Read more
The Van der Sommen Family’s Migration from Helmond to Mount Gambier Elly Anderson (née van der Sommen) | Written in 2014 In my small collection of Dutch books at our home in South Australia there is a 1950 hard cover publication titled Australië – Land van Vele Mogelijkheden by J.J. Read more
Anton Roodhuyzen recalls his childhood in the Netherlands East Indies, his family’s internment during the Japanese occupation, their post-war evacuation to the Netherlands and his eventual migration to Australia. My full name is Antonie Roodhuyzen. I am of European Dutch descent and was born on 1 December 1936 in the Read more
Published by DAAAG April 8, 2016 Adriaan and Jo on their silver Wedding Anniversary In June 1991, when Adriaan and Johanna Rutte had been married 50 years, a family of no less than seventy members, spanning four generations, celebrated with them. The number was hardly surprising to those who had seen 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