Dutch Culture, Sport, and Religion in Australia
Many awards bestowed on Dr Wouters
Dr. Cornelius Wouters is most likely the internationally most awarded Dutch-Australian. He was awarded the Knighthood in the Order of Oranje-Nassau. He also received the Silver Anjer from the Prins Bernhard Fonds in 1976 for his contribution to the preservation and promotion of Dutch culture in Australia. The Silver Anjer Read more…
Migration history
Stephanie Branz – Dutch-Australian Sports-commentator
In this video clip from the National Archives of Australia Stephanie talks about her Dutch heritage. Stephanie Brantz is a television presenter and sports personality from Australia. Born in 1972 in Queensland to Dutch parents to Phillipa and Hans Branz, she began her modeling career in 1985 while attending St Read more…
Art, Music, Film, Theatre
Dutch/Australian Artist Queenie van de Zandt Invites Dutch women over 40 to share their stories of menopause and middle age
Queenie van de Zandt is the daughter of Ria and Hans van de Zandt. Hans is the co-founder of the Canberra Dutch Club in the ACT. Queenie mentioned that she is very proud to be Dutch and that parts of her Dutch heritage have influenced her writing. In particular in Read more…
Cultural Events and Activities
Peter Zorgdrager established Miniland in Coonabarabran
Miniland was a theme park in Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia. It was opened in 1972 by Peter Zorgdrager, a Dutch immigrant who was inspired by Dusneyland. The park featured a variety of giant sculptures, including dinosaurs, animals, and landmarks from around the world. It also had a children’s playground, Read more…
Art, Music, Film, Theatre
Jan van de Stool – the Dutch/Australian comedic, alter-ego of performer Queenie van de Zandt
Jan van de Stool, International Musical Therapist – was a successful Real Estate Agent before giving it all up and making a natural progression into becoming a Self-Help Guru. She lives in Woy Woy, with Pieter, her husband and cousin, and their son Henk, and promotes her unique brand of Read more…
Dutch Organisations
Ype De Bruin OAM leading figure in the Dutch Community in Victoria
Ype is the President of the Associated Netherlands Societies in Victoria; a position he has held for 29 years. He worked for 32 years with the Gas & Fuel Corporation, during which time he held several management positions and set up a training school in Victoria for technical and non-technical Read more…
Art, Music, Film, Theatre
Dutch-Indonesian-Australian Geophysicist and artist William Wiebenga
William Alexander Christiaan Johannes Wiebenga was an Indonesian-Dutch-Australian geophysicist and artist. He was born in Benkoelen, Indonesia (now known as Bengkulu, Indonesia) on December 5, 1910. His father with the same name, William Alexander Christiaan Johannes Wiebenga, was a Dutch civil servant. His mother Jeanne Helene de Rochemont was born Read more…
Art, Music, Film, Theatre
Australian Actor Anthony LaPaglia has Dutch Ancestry
Maria Johannes Brendel is a secretary and the mother of Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia. She is originally from the Netherlands and has Dutch ethnicity. Her husband Gedio “Eddie” LaPaglia, emigrated from Bovalino, Province of Reggio Calabria, Italy. They had two other sons, the Australian actor Jonathan LaPaglia and Michael LaPaglia, Read more…
Migration history
Dutch Football Club Austral Sydney
Dutch Football Club Austral was a soccer club that was founded in Sydney by a group of Dutch immigrants, under the name Hollandia at the Black Tulip Restaurant in George Street in 1949. Its restaurateur David Bos became the first president and also was its main sponsor. The first game Read more…