From migration camp to Dutch houseThe story of Fred and Marie van Breemen The history of Dutch migration to Brisbane after the Second World War was shaped not only by organised migration schemes and housing initiatives, but also by personal encounters, community networks and the determination of migrant families to Read more
Dutch passenger liner Oranje was built in 1939 build by the Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Maatschappij and was at the time one of the most modern ones in operation. However, its operation as a liner was cut short by the war in Europe. The ship was able to flee to Surabaya in Read more
The wartime story of Jan Bakker and his family The story of Johannes (Jan) Bakker and his wife Maria van Rijswijk is one of war, separation, loss and rebuilding across continents. It begins in the Netherlands in the late 1930s, moves to the Netherlands East Indies during the final years Read more
Introduction The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme occupies a central place in Australia’s postwar history. Conceived as a nation-building project, it reshaped Australia’s energy and water systems while simultaneously transforming the country’s demographic profile. Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, the Scheme attracted tens of thousands of workers, the majority Read more
The story of the Van der Woude family reflects the experience of many Dutch migrants who helped shape Tasmania’s post-war development. Through small business enterprise, church involvement and later civic leadership, successive generations of the family became part of the social and economic fabric of the state. War-time beginnings and Read more
Samanuddin was born in 1906 in Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh), then part of British India. He later served as a seaman in the Netherlands Merchant Navy. Like many Asian sailors recruited by Dutch shipping companies during the interwar and wartime years, he became part of the multinational crews that operated Read more
In February 2026, I visited Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, what I would unhesitatingly describe as the Dutch Cultural Centre of New Zealand. It is located in Foxton, approximately 160 kilometres north of Wellington, and sits directly on the banks of the Manawatū River, the geographical and historical lifeline of the Read more
Roelofina Wisse-Borger, known within her family as Fiena, was one of the many ordinary Dutch citizens who demonstrated extraordinary courage during the Second World War. For her actions in hiding Jewish families during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, she was posthumously honoured with the title Righteous Among the Nations, Read more
Introduction The Aviation Heritage Museum in Bull Creek (Perth) is one of Australia’s most important specialist aviation museums. Established by the Air Force Association of Western Australia and opened in 1979, it houses a large collection of military and civil aircraft, engines, aviation equipment, archival material and interpretive displays related Read more
Early life in the Netherlands Cornelis Antonie de Jong was born in 1916 in Asperen, a small rural town along the river Linge. He grew up in a family marked by poverty, limited formal education, and the social pressures of interwar Dutch society. Work was often seasonal or insecure, schooling Read more