Peter is a multi-faceted individual with a diverse educational and professional background. Born in Singapore to Dutch parents, he has pursued a wide range of interests and affiliations throughout his life. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree, which indicates his training in marketing, and a Diploma in Ministry Read more…
Petronella Wensing (1924-2023) was a Dutch migrant to Australia who passed away in 2023. Below is an obituary written by her son Ed (posted with permission). A short story about Petronella was published in The Canberra Times: The Canberra Times also published a shortened version of Ed Wensing’s obituary for Read more…
The SS Groote Beer, originally built as the SS Costa Rica Victory, emerged as a significant vessel post-World War II. Constructed as an enlarged Victory troopship under the US War Shipping Administration, the ship was purchased by the State of the Netherlands. After a brief stint under the American Hawaiian Read more…
Coosje Ayal, born in 1926 in the Moluccas, Western New Guinea, became a notable figure for her resistance efforts during World War II. Adopted by her aunt and uncle, who was a civil servant of the Dutch colonial government, she attended a Dutch school and learned the language. When the Read more…
Anthony van Diemen was the Governor of the Netherlands East Indies during the time of the exploration of Abel Tasman. Tasmania was first known as Van Diemen’s Land, the name given to the island by Anel Tasman. The name was changed in 1856 to Tasmania. Anthonio (Anthonie, Antonie, Anthony) van Read more…
Maatsuyker Island is named after Joan Maetsuycker, the The Dutch Governor of Zeylan (present-day Sri Lanka) during the Dutch period in Ceylon and later the Governor-General of the Netherlands East Indies from 1653 to 1678. The island was named by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who named it after Maetsuycker in Read more…
Dutch businessman Herman Diederik Huyer, who settled in Australia in 1969. Huyer was born in the Netherlands in 1920, and after World War II worked for the Dutch multinational company, the Philips Group. He held posts around the world during his career. Frank Leddy reorganised Philips Australasia More than 150 Read more…
Different from most Dutch migrants, Nies Lankamp was not born in the Netherlands. She was born in Teluk Bayur in North Eastern Borneo as Nies Landman. Her father, Gerard Landman, worked there as machinist on the coal transport ships of the Koninklijke Pakketvaart Maatschappij (KPM). Teluk Bayur is inland, connected Read more…
For his extraordinary courage and perseverance, Kokkelink was knighted at Camp Columbia in Brisbane on April 12, 1945. His commendation highlighted his decisive actions, perseverance, and skill during the Japanese occupation, emphasising the “indescribable difficulties and hardships” he faced. Mauritz Christiaan Kokkelink, born on June 17, 1913, at the military Read more…
Hendrikus (Henk) Hoonhout and Alida Johanna Maria Geeraerts (Ali) are brother and sister. They both live in Prins Willem Alexander Village in Birkdale, Brisbane Queensland, albeit in separate accommodation. Ali is a widow and lives in a low-care unit, she is 99. Henk, who never married, lives in an independent Read more…