Australia is a land of immigrants. I am an immigrant, and you, dear reader, are probably too. High levels of immigration in the years before 1891 resulted in 32% of the population listed as overseas-born in Australia’s first country-wide census in 1891. These numbers decreased substantially in the first half Read more…
Family in Holland could have a Sinterklaas package sent to their relatives overseas. There was all kinds of stuff in there. Candy, calendar, teaspoon, gramophone record, booklets, tablecloth, you name it. In the DACC archives is a tablecloth and sugar bowl from such a package (see below). See also: Sinterklaas Read more…
Pepernoten: The Traditional Sinterklaas DelicacyIs Christmas Eve truly complete without gingerbread cookies? Sinterklaas festivities naturally include these delightful treats, making them an essential part of the celebration. Gingerbread cookies, available at Dutch shops or enjoyable to make at home, hold the top spot on our list of Sinterklaas treats. Engage Read more…
These are photographs and Dutch Australian Weekly (DAW) newspaper clippings from the DACC archives of Sinterklaas celebrations within Australian club from the early fifties onwards. Dutch Australian Weekly newspaper clippings The DAW also used Sinterklaas to promote a subscription to the newspaper as a Sinterklaas gift Information on the Dutch Read more…
The story of Sinterklaas (Sint Nicolaas) is of course well known, there is plenty of information on the internet about this typical Dutch tradition. Although it has changed over the years due to changes in society e.g. the arrival of radio, television, internet as well as an increasingly more multicultural Read more…
Gerard Willems AM is a Dutch Australian classical pianist and double ARIA award winner. He came by boat (Grote Beer, Holland-America Lines) with his family in 1958 and went through several years of migrant camp experience. You can see a glimpse of his work here: See also: Gerard Willems Interview: Read more…
In February 2023, Australian Ambassador Dr. Greg French and State Archivist Afelonne Doek opened the temporary exhibition People Movement Stories in the Netherlands National Archives in The Hague. Since that time the exhibition has also been travelling to Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne. In the exhibition, twelve people tell the story Read more…
Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie – VOC – (Dutch East India Company) related gable stone with a lying lioness in the ‘gable stone wall’ at the Oudezijds Kolk in Amsterdam. The stone comes from Kleine Kattenburgerstraat 14/16 and was found there by Van Arkel and Weissman (Noord-Hollandsche Oudheden 6destuk (1903) page 43). Read more…
The Uiver Memorial Community Trust – a not-for-profit organisation – is devoted to restoring Albury’s Uiver Memorial DC-2 aircraft. In 1934 the MacRobertson Air Race proclaimed itself as the greatest international air race devised, and history has confirmed that bold claim. The aircrews that completed the journey from England to Read more…
The Sydney Opera House, opened on 20 October 1973, and stands tall as an iconic symbol of Australian culture. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it, emphasising the power of human creativity. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed at the official opening, under the direction of Dutchman Willem van Otterloo. The orchestra’s Read more…