The story of Ron Van ‘t Hag provides a particularly interesting example of how a young Dutch migrant became involved in Australian sporting life. Born in Almelo, the Netherlands, on 6 July 1940, Ron emigrated to Australia with his parents when he was approximately thirteen years old. The family settled Read more
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
Jordan Bos is a football/soccer player with connections to both Australia and the Netherlands. Bos was born in Melbourne on 29 October 2002 to parents Jacco and Sandra, who raised him and his younger brother Kasey in the city’s southwestern suburb of Point Cook. Today, Jordan Bos, who plays as Read more
Introduction The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme occupies a central place in Australia’s postwar history. Conceived as a nation-building project, it reshaped Australia’s energy and water systems while simultaneously transforming the country’s demographic profile. Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, the Scheme attracted tens of thousands of workers, the majority Read more
Post-war Dutch migration to Australia reshaped not only industry and housing but also community life. Football became one of the most effective ways for Dutch migrants to build social networks, maintain cultural continuity, and integrate into Australian society. In Sydney, one of the clubs that emerged from this environment was Read more
Introduction In the decades following the Second World War, Canberra became home to a growing number of Dutch migrants. As in other parts of Australia, football (soccer) played an important role in helping these newcomers build social networks, preserve cultural familiarity and gradually integrate into Australian society. In Canberra, Dutch Read more
Johan “John” Vrolyks was born in 1922 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and emigrated to Australia in 1952. After arriving in Sydney, he worked first as a car washer in Crown Street before becoming a cook with Cahill’s Restaurants. Keen to explore more of Australia, he soon joined the Postmaster-General’s Department Read more
The State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) holds an extensive collection of publications, oral histories, photographs, personal documents and research material associated with Dutch-Australian historian Dr Nonja Peters. The two catalogues presented below provide complementary ways of exploring these holdings. The first is a broad catalogue of material associated with Read more
Dutch footballer Bente Jansen is part of Brisbane Roar in the Ninja A-League, adding a new chapter to the Netherlands–Australia sporting connection. Jansen came to Queensland in 2025 with a strong pedigree in European football. She previously played for Dutch giants AFC Ajax, where she featured in 24 matches, scored Read more
In a story that crosses borders, generations, and identities, Hendrika de Vries embodies the resilience of Dutch migrants who forged new lives in Australia after the Second World War. Her journey—from the trauma of Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to becoming South Australia’s swimming champion in 1955—is a testament to courage, adaptability, and Read more