On September 7, 1944, a Dakota C-47 aircraft carrying 20 people crashed into a mountain near Mossman, Queensland, while returning from a reconnaissance visit to Merauke, Dutch New Guinea. The plane was operated by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force (ML-KNIL) and had four crew members and 16 passengers Read more…
Petrus (Piet) Wilhelmus Johannes Willemse was born on 13 July 1933 at Liessel, Deurne, Nord Braband, Netherlands to Johannes Jozef Willemse (b 27.01.02 d 27 Oct 1944) and Francina Petronella Wilhelmina Spreeuwenberg (b 30 Nov 1906 D April 1968).
“Overal Hollanders” by Pieter Johannes Risseeuw (1901 – 1968) is a historical account of Dutch migration and settlement around the world, focusing in particular on Australia. The book was published in 1965 by Bosch & Keuning N.V. in Baarn, the Netherlands. In “Overal Hollanders,” Risseeuw traces the history of Dutch Read more…
This article is written with the assistance of Richard’s wife Lyn she also made the photo selection below. Lyn is a photo librarian and has been doing this for 60 years. Richard Woldendorp was born in Utrecht, Holland on the 1st January 1927, and lived for some time in Leeuwarden Read more…
The following list of Dutch emigration literature (in a broad sense) includes book titles that specifically relate to emigration of Dutch people to Australia. The list, compiled by Ton van Kalmthout, does not claim to be exhaustive, but forms a first step towards a further inventory of reading materials available Read more…
Born in the Netherlands in January 1947, just after WWII in the south-western province of Zeeland, Elisabeth’s family name is de Rijke-Nassau, one of the branches of the Nassaus sharing the common ancestry of Charlemagne and Willem and Juliana de Rijke. The de Rijkes, and their identification as part of Read more…
Augustin Lodewyckx (1876-1964) was a Belgian scholar and professor who made significant contributions to the study of modern languages in Australia. He was born on December 8, 1876, in Booischot, Belgium, the son of Joannes Lodewijckx, a farmer, and his wife, Maria Dymphna Maes. After completing his secondary education in Read more…
Ben Nusteling was a Dutch Australian Australian Rules footballer who was born in Dordrecht, Netherlands, on February 27, 1939. His family immigrated to Australia when he was a child, and he grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran. Nusteling played for the Prahran Football Club in the Victorian Football Read more…
Marguerite Ruygrok was born on June 3, 1947, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She migrated with her family to Australia at a young age. She began swimming at an early age and showed considerable talent for the sport, particularly in breaststroke events. Ruygrok first came to national attention when she won Read more…
Henk (Hendricus) Vogels (Haarlem, 1 November 1942 – 9 August 2019) was a Dutch professional cyclist who immigrated to Australia with his parents and siblings in 1955. His father, a plumber, settled the family in Riverton, Western Australia. His father supported him in establishing his cycling career and this resulted eventually Read more…