Scroll down to read the announcement in Dutch. The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) is pleased to announce the beginning of a collaborative relationship with the Online Indisch Museum in the Netherlands, creating a new opportunity to strengthen awareness of the shared heritage that connects Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia. 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
The story of the Drok family is one of courage, endurance and remarkable resilience in the face of war. During the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies, Dirk Drok, his wife Kitty, and their young son Arnold experienced the hardships of internment, separation and survival. Yet their lives after Read more
In 2007, members of Adelaide’s Dutch community published a booklet that made an important contribution to preserving one of the lesser-known chapters of Australian wartime history. Titled The Dutch Contribution to the Defence of Australia during the War in the Pacific, 1941–1945, it was compiled by Ben van Essen and Read more
Since November 2007, a bronze plaque on Adelaide’s Pathway of Honour has recognised the Dutch servicemen and women who helped defend Australia during the Second World War. The plaque, donated by the Dutch community in South Australia, is located on King William Road in Adelaide. Its inscription reads: “Dedicated to Read more
When we think about the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Government-in-Exile during the Second World War, our attention naturally turns to Camp Columbia, the Dutch administration at Wacolin Brisbane and the military activities at Archerfield. These have become well-known chapters in the history of the Dutch presence in Australia. Yet one Read more
By Edward Duyker Every now and then, we can all be surprised by what we dig up in the garden, be it a tool, a missing piece of jewellery or a coin. On 26 March 2025, my wife Susan was weeding in our vegetable garden and found a weathered 1-Cent Read more
One of the most significant collections relating to the Dutch presence in Australia during the Second World War can now be found at the Northern Rivers Military Museum in Casino, New South Wales. The museum has developed a dedicated Camp Victory display that tells the remarkable story of the Royal Read more
Among the many fascinating objects in the collection of the Bronbeek Museum is an Australian-made Owen Mark I submachine gun. At first glance it appears to be simply another weapon of the Second World War. Yet this remarkable firearm tells a much larger story—one of Australian innovation, Dutch-Australian military cooperation Read more
Alois (Wies) Amrein was born in Fort de Kock (now Bukittinggi) in Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) on 27 February 1910. His parents were Felix Amrein, who was originally from Switzerland, and Indonesian woman Maria Lucia Siken; Wies received Swiss nationality at birth. In 1934, Wies married Read more