Early Life and Career Jan (John) van Hoboken was born in 1908 in Aalten, Gelderland, Netherlands. He began his career in 1929 when he accepted a position at the Borsumij trading company in the Netherlands East Indies. In 1932, he married while living there. When the Japanese invasion of the Read more…
Throughout World War II, the Dutch Merchant Navy (Koopvaardij) played a crucial role in the global war effort, especially in the Pacific following the fall of the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) to Japanese forces in early 1942. This article explores the enduring legacy of the Dutch Merchant Navy in Read more…
Source: National Archives of Australia Gerard van Wezel migrated to Australia from the Netherlands in 1952 under an ex-serviceman assisted passage scheme. In January 1958, he began working as a technical officer with the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority. During this time, he met fellow Dutch migrant Marretje Ida Sonnenberg, who Read more…
Source: National Archives of Australia Sherry Wright, originally named Berta Joanna van Wheeley, migrated from the Netherlands to Australia with her family in 1950. Her father, having endured severe starvation during World War II, was advised to seek a warmer climate for health reasons, prompting the family’s relocation to Brisbane. Read more…
Source: National Archives of Australia In February 1957, the Wolswinkel family, including Henk Wolswinkel, the youngest of 13 children, embarked on the Dutch migrant ship Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (JVO) from Amsterdam to Australia. Their meticulous preparations were slightly overshadowed by a forgotten pair of clogs, left behind by young Henk. Read more…
Cees and Ina Huig, along with their three children, migrated from the Netherlands to Australia in 1972, settling in Brisbane. Their journey and experiences have been documented by the National Archives of Australia. Cees Huig was born on February 25, 1933, in the Netherlands. During World War II, as a Read more…
Source: National Archives of Australia In 1951, Nieske Besselink traveled from the Netherlands to Ulverstone, Tasmania, before deciding to marry her fiancé, Jan Hoogenhout, wanting to ensure she would feel at home in Australia. Fortunately, Nieske embraced her new life, and the couple became integral members of their community. They Read more…
The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hage. This Federation was formed a few years ago to incorporate all the existing “klaverjasclubs”, whether they were part of an organisation or a separate Read more…
The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hage. The difficulties of the ‘first’ assisted immigrants were many, “housing” being one of the greatest problems. Although in post-war Holland housing was Read more…
The National Archives of Australia (NAA) has a very extensive archive in relation to the Netherlands . Their archives only contain documents from government sources. The DACC collects private collections and private stories so the combination is complementary. The following article is republished with permission. Chapter 38 of the book: Read more…