Adrian van Leest was born in the Netherlands, where his father had a community garden plot. When the family moved to Australia in 1955, they lived in Creswick, Victoria, on a large block cultivated by Adrian from one end to the other. He was given a small allotment of nine Read more
The Hazebroek family emigrated to Australia in 1952 on the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. They brought their furniture-making equipment with them in the ship’s hold and used it to establish a furniture factory in Perth. The patriarch of the family, Pieter Hazebroek, had been a master carpenter and furniture maker in Read more
Roelf Vos was a successful Australian businessman and philanthropist, born on a boat in Bergum (later Burgum), the Netherlands, on 4 October 1921. During World War II, he was involved in the Dutch Resistance and had to hide from German forces. After the war, he opened a drapery store in Read more
The long Dutch relationship with Southeast Brisbane began during World War II, when in 1942 the Americans established Camp Columbia in Wacol, Brisbane to stop the Japanese advance in the Southwest Pacific. The camp became the staging ground for the American campaign, covering an area of 20 by 15 square Read more
Manon van Kouswijk, a Dutch artist born in 1967, has been residing and creating in Melbourne since 2010. She received her education at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, where she later became the Head of the Jewellery department from 2007 to 2010. Central to Manon’s artistic approach is her Read more
Melkkoeien en zuivel in Nederlands-Australische emigratieliteratuur, 1945-1965 This is the original article by Prof. Ton van Kalmthout with graphics, pictures and source references in Dutch. Below that is a PDF of the article’s English translation. Author: Professor dr. A.B.G.M. (Ton) van Kalmthout – senior-onderzoeker Literatuurgeschiedenis | Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Read more
Paul Budde is an Australian telecommunications pioneer, public historian and heritage advocate. Throughout more than five decades of professional and community activity he has worked to strengthen the relationship between the Netherlands, his country of birth, and Australia, his adopted home. Initially this was through telecommunications, digital innovation and international Read more
The war In Netherlands East indies (NEI) led to the merging of the training schools of the air force of the KNILM (Royal Netherlands East Indies Army), the aviation service of the Royal Dutch Navy in NEI and the Vrijwilliger Vlieger Corps-VVC (Volunteer Pilot Corps), which trained private volunteers. With Read more
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).