The 7th Fleet was formed on March 15, 1943 in Brisbane, Australia, during World War II. It served in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) under the control of General Douglas MacArthur, and the 7th Fleet commander also served as commander of Allied naval forces in the SWPA. This Read more
William (Bill) Vrolyks was born in the Netherlands in 1925. In 1945 at the age of twenty, he was sent to Australia as part of the Royal Dutch Air Force for training to fight the Japanese during the Second World War. At the time, there was a major union boycott Read more
Christiaan Vincent Gradwell (Chris) van Oosterzee, born on March 20, 1922, in Weltevreden (Batavia), and died on April 18, 1989, in Amsterdam, was a significant figure during and after World War II. His life included notable interactions with Australia during his military service. Early Life and Military Involvement Chris van Read more
There is an unconfirmed story that General Douglas MacArthur ordered the printing of money for the Netherlands East Indies at the Commonwealth Bank Note Printing Works in Melbourne. This printing facility, established in 1912, had its role taken over by the Reserve Bank of Australia in 1960. There are mentions Read more
Pell Airfield in the Northern Territory formed part of the network of bases that supported Dutch–Australian air operations from the Top End during the Second World War. Although No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF was principally based at nearby Batchelor, its B-25 Mitchell bombers could use Pell for maintenance, Read more
Early Life and Education Hendrik (Cornelis Gijsbertus) Kolenberg was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on July 31, 1946, to Gijsbertus Anthonius Kolenberg and Wilhelmina Maria Kolenberg (née Schellaars). In October 1952, the Kolenberg family emigrated to Australia, where Hendrik began his education. He attended Black Forest Primary, Forbes Primary, and Read more
The human cost of Dutch air operations from Australia No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF conducted bombing, reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations from airfields in northern Australia during the Second World War. The squadron was a joint organisation. Dutch and Netherlands East Indies personnel formed most of its flying crews, Read more
From its inception in August 2016, Zing! Sing in Dutch promised to be a choir with a difference. Following a series of two vibrant workshops in June that year featuring nursery rhymes, cabaret ballads, pop songs and waltzes (all in Dutch), a core group formed under the leadership of founder Read more
After publishing ‘The Lost White Tribes of Australia‘ Part Two, the author Henry van Zanden realised that the Victorian chapters deserved a more thorough investigation and its own book dedicated entirely to the smallpox outbreak in Victoria and NSW. In Victoria, he explored the South-western districts especially Lake Condah and Read more
The link below is a PowerPoint presentation from Dr. Nonja Peters – 2023 See also: The Drama of Broome 3-3-1942 The 18 Netherlands East Indies Squadron RAAF Stories of the Dutch WWII submarines in Australia Dutch at WWII Camp Columbia Brisbane 1944 – 1947 Dutch merchant fleet delivered major contribution Read more