On 24 August 1945, just days after the end of the Second World War, Melbourne hosted a massive Victory in the Pacific parade. Tens of thousands of service personnel marched through the city in celebration, cheered on by vast crowds lining Swanston Street and Flinders Street. Among the international contingents Read more
Introduction The Aceh War (1873–1904), fought in the northern Sumatran region of Atjeh (Aceh), was the longest and most costly conflict in Dutch colonial history in the East Indies. The Dutch launched repeated campaigns to subdue the fiercely independent Sultanate of Aceh, which controlled a strategic position at the entrance Read more
The State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) holds an extensive collection of publications, oral histories, photographs, personal documents and research material associated with Dutch-Australian historian Dr Nonja Peters. The two catalogues presented below provide complementary ways of exploring these holdings. The first is a broad catalogue of material associated with Read more
Symposium Allied Co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK The symposium Allied Co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK (University of Queensland, 30–31 August 2025) drew a full house of delegates, historians, community representatives, and descendants to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Read more
Charleville, in western Queensland, is widely remembered for its importance to American aviation during the Second World War. Less well known is its connection with the Netherlands East Indies through the Dutch airline KNILM (Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij). Before the Pacific War, Charleville served as an inland stopping point on Read more
During the Second World War, Dutch and Australian servicemen fought side by side across the Netherlands East Indies. The swift Japanese advance in early 1942 saw the fall of Ambon, the Moluccas, and later Java, resulting in the capture of tens of thousands of Allied troops. Many of them were Read more
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
We are proud to inform you that the Lord Mayor of Brisbane hosted an official civic reception in honour of the Camp Columbia Heritage Association on the eve of our international WWII symposium at the University of Queensland. This prestigious event took place at Brisbane City Hall, in the Balmoral Read more
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
Summary of Dutch A.D. N.I.B.T.A. Bulletin, 3 September 1945 On 2 September 1945, the formal surrender of Japan was signed on board the battleship Missouri, marking the official end of the Second World War. The ceremony was led by General Douglas MacArthur on behalf of the Allies, with representatives of Read more