Benjamin Hielke de Roo was a renowned Australian gymnast who was born on 11 February 1940 in Enschede. His family emigrated to Australia in 1957, and he became an Australian citizen in 1960. De Roo started his gymnastics career in the Netherlands and continued his passion for the sport when Read more…
Hilbert van Dijk was born on 24 September 1918 in the Netherlands, and he grew up in Amsterdam. He learned to fence at a young age and became one of the top epee fencers in the country, consistently ranked among the top six. Van Dijk immigrated to Australia in 1948, Read more…
Hyam van der Sluice (sometimes spelled “Sluys”) was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1855 and arrived in Adelaide, Australia, in 1882. He married Amelia (nee Barnett)in Adelaide in 1886, and they had seven children. Hyam was of Dutch-Jewish heritage, while Amelia was of English-Jewish heritage. Hyam passed away in Read more…
Rids van der Zee was a Dutch-born magician who immigrated to Australia in 1954. He was born in the Frisian town of Franeker, in 1923. Van der Zee was a skilled magician who specialised in close-up magic and sleight of hand. He performed under the stage name “Rids the Flying Read more…
Sunrise Choral Society was a Dutch choral group that formed in Blacktown in 1959 under the name “Morgenrood”. Initially their repertoire was purely Dutch., however they became increasingly more anglicised. They held an International Festival of Song, Dance, and Music in 1976 as a fundraiser for the Blacktown Hospital. Other Read more…
The Dutch Choir and Folkloric Group Dee Why was a choral group formed by 25 Dutch parishioners of the Dee Why Presbyterian Church in Sydney, Australia in 1958. Initially, the group was primarily focused on performing liturgical music for the church, but it later expanded its repertoire to include Dutch Read more…
Jan Willem van Otterloo was a prominent Dutch conductor who achieved great success both in his home country and in Australia. He was born on December 27, 1907, in Winterswijk, Netherlands, and began his music career as a cellist before turning to conducting. He studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory and Read more…
Pieter van der Stolk was born on September 14, 1934, in Amsterdam. Pieter van der Stolk during his time with Opera Australia. Supplied: Sandie van der Stolk. At a certain stage he moved to Britain, where he appeared in several BBC television shows and films, including “Z Cars,” “Doctor Who,” Read more…
Willy de la Bye was born on August 25, 1934, in The Hague, Netherlands. She began her dance training at a young age and went on to study with several renowned teachers and choreographers in Europe, including Maurice Béjart and Martha Graham. In 1957, de la Bye joined the Dutch Read more…
Jaap Flier was born in Scheveningen the Netherlands, on 27 February 1934. He began dancing at a young age and went on to study ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London in the 1950s. After completing his training, Flier returned to the Netherlands, where he danced with the Dutch Read more…