Daniel Johannes Huygens, born in Utrecht, Holland, in 1908, is recognized as an unsung hero of World War II for his courageous efforts in hiding Jewish families from the Nazis. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, Huygens and his wife, Lydia, transformed the upper story of their house into Read more…
From their initial close connection with St Johns Presbyterians, a committed group of immigrant Dutch Christians moved on to build a church true to the Reformed tradition at Kingston. With original sources and interviews supplementing his research, Kees Wierenga chronicles their 60+ year story, a story based on faith and Read more…
Johannes Jan Nicolaas de Voogd, known as Jan, was born in January 1932 in Japan to Dutch parents, Nicolaas Arie Johannes (Niek) de Voogd (1899-1977) and Amarintia Clasina de Vries (1903-1998). Jan’s parents married in 1930 in Kattendijke in Zeeland, the Netherlands. At the time his father Niek was an Read more…
Biography Johannis Jacob “Hans” Mol, (14 February 1922 – 26 November 2017) a notable sociologist of religion, was born in Rozenburg. His early academic pursuits at the University of Amsterdam were disrupted by World War II when he refused to pledge allegiance to the Nazi party. Consequently, he was forced Read more…
The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hage. The P.D.B.S. started its work in Australia in 1948. It began as a social committee of the Dutch congregation of the Presbyterian Church and Read more…
On 30 August 2023 Arend Reinirus and Catherina Berendina Brugman-Harmes were posthumous awarded the title: Righteous Among the Nations by Mr Chris Cantor the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel in Australia. The medal and certificate were received by their granddaughter Mrs Anne-Marie Buttigieg. Her grandparents with Read more…
Article about Ruben Rubens and Bob van Ameringen. They were friends in the Netherlands before WWII when their lives were disrupted. They became refugees but eventually, separately, settled in Australia. Here after 50 years they met each other again for the first time.
Dr. Wouters did not shy away from controversial issues. He refused to swear allegiance to the Queen during his naturalisation ceremony, instead he was allowed to swear on the Bible, something that since that time has been accepted by the Australian Government. He advocated for equality for migrants within various Read more…
Dutch Communal Life in VictoriaBy Henk Overberg Henk Overberg’s detailed sociological and historical analysis of the Dutch in Victoria reveals that ethnic communities do not simply emerge by demographic presence alone. Rather, they must be made—through shared identity, communal interaction, organisational structures, and the development of collective memory. Overberg contends Read more…
A Book Review: Written Portraits of Dutch Migrant Priests in Australia The book Geschreven portretten van Nederlandse emigrantenpriesters in Australië, translates to Written portraits of Dutch migrant priests in Australia in English. It was edited and adapted by J.W.P. Elferink from the original manuscripts of Theo van der Meel, a Read more…