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
Mauritz Kokkelink – Resistance in New Guinea and honoured at Camp Columbia Mauritz Christiaan Kokkelink was one of the leading figures in the remarkable resistance maintained against the Japanese in Dutch New Guinea during the Second World War. For more than two years, KNIL personnel, Indonesian and Moluccan civilians and Read more
On June 16th 2021 I received news that the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Australia, H.E. Mrs. Marion Derckx, announced Ms. Marjon Wind to be the new Honorary Consul for Queensland. Ms. Wind succeeds Dr. Frans Karel de Laat as the Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Read more
From evacuation flights to a major transport organisation Following the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, Australia became the principal base for rebuilding Dutch military aviation in the Southwest Pacific. An essential part of this effort was the creation of an air transport organisation capable of moving personnel, equipment, Read more
This report recently declassified assesses – in 1948 – the implications of the decolonisation of Africa and Asia for US security. The report – which also mentioned the futile attempts of the Netherlands to hold on to the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) – proofs to be amazingly accurate about Read more
The Netherlands East Indies Aircraft and Personnel Pool was established to receive, train and assign Dutch aviation personnel arriving in Australia, while also holding replacement aircraft and equipment for the operational squadrons. Initially based at RAAF Station Canberra, the organisation supported o. No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF and Read more
Iwan Wasiliwitsj Smirnoff lived one of the most remarkable lives in early aviation. Born in the Russian Empire, he became a decorated First World War fighter pilot, fled the Russian Revolution and eventually made a new career in the Netherlands. As a KLM captain, he pioneered long-distance air services between Read more
November 1786 saw the publication of An Historical Narrative of the Discovery of New Holland and New South Wales, which sought to explain the reasons for the British Government’s decision to establish a settlement at Botany Bay. Although the book was published anonymously, the London publishers, John Fielding and John Stockdale, were Read more
Presentation on Australian-Dutch WWII events at ANZAC Square & Memorial Galleries Camp Columbia Heritage Association invites you to a presentation by Dutch historian Bas Kreuger on Dutch Australian WWII events on 17 November 2023 at the ANZAC Square & Memorial Galleries. Reservations are limited to 60 persons. Register for free Read more
Propaganda and intelligence gathering. As the Allied Forces were able to push back the Japanese, by 1943, preparations started in Australia to liberate the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). The Netherlands East Indies Government-in-Exile was established in Camp Columbia, Brisbane to coordinate the liberation and reoccupation efforts from here.. In 1943, Read more