Editorial Note This six-part series is based primarily on the research of Dr Jack Ford, as presented in his book Allies in a Bind. It is intended as a high-level overview that makes this important and often overlooked chapter of Dutch–Australian history accessible to a broader audience. It is not Read more
During the Second World War, Dutch, Australian and Indonesian personnel worked together in a little-known series of clandestine operations against Japanese forces occupying the Netherlands East Indies. Their activities were organised through the Netherlands East Indies Section of the Inter-Allied Services Department (IASD), a secret Australian-based organisation responsible for intelligence Read more
Charles van der Plas: colonial expert, wartime administrator in Australia and advocate of gradual reform Charles Olke van der Plas (1891–1977) was one of the most experienced Dutch colonial administrators of the Netherlands East Indies. Born in Buitenzorg, now Bogor, in West Java, he developed a deep knowledge of Indonesian Read more
In June 2026, representatives of the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) and the Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) visited the Netherlands as guests of the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE – Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands). While Camp Columbia formed the central focus of the visit, the discussions Read more
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
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
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
Wilhelmina De Brey These pieces are in memory of those I failed to help survive. I had hoped to save their lives. Through the betrayal of another person, to the secret police, the Kempeitai, our house was invaded. I had received a visit from a woman three weeks before the raid, and 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
John (Jan) Rikkers John (Jan) Rikkers was born on 5 February 1925 in den Haag, the youngest child of Jan Rikkers and Marie van der Wansem (official papers in later years state his date of birth as 1921, but according to John he had deliberately put his age up so Read more