Jelte Lubertus Bakker was born in Bussum on 1 April 1920. He was the son of electrical fitter Lubertus Jelte Bakker and Trijntje Hilferink. Jelte later worked as a seaman and mechanical engineer, acquiring technical and maritime experience that would accompany him to Australia. His future wife, Lizelotte Staudinger, known Read more
Adrianus Noels, known within the family as Janus, was born in Dordrecht on 30 July 1906. He was the son of skipper Jan Noels and Wilhelmina Zoutewelle. Growing up among Dordrecht’s rivers, harbours and shipping traffic, he became familiar with life on the water from an early age. On 12 Read more
A major source for the transition from wartime cooperation to Indonesian independence The Huygens Institute’s digital publication Officiële Bescheiden betreffende de Nederlands-Indonesische betrekkingen 1945–1950 contains a substantial body of primary material relating to Australia. The Huygens Institute is the DACC’s principal research partner in the Netherlands. The two organisations collaborate Read more
For Dutch families, the December festive season traditionally begins with Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas. Children are told that Sinterklaas arrives from Spain aboard a steamboat and travels through towns on a white horse. They place a shoe near the fireplace, sing traditional songs and hope to receive sweets or a Read more
Lou Casch, born Lodewyk Nanlohy, was an Ambonese guitarist whose career connects the former Netherlands East Indies with the emergence of Australian rock and roll. Best known for his work with Johnny O’Keefe and the Dee Jays, he brought a background in jazz to one of Australia’s pioneering rock bands. Read more
Robert Pikler’s career connects the musical life of the Netherlands East Indies with Australia’s post-war concert halls. A Hungarian musician who worked in the Dutch colony and survived Japanese internment, he subsequently became an influential performer and teacher in Australia. Born in Fureszfalu, Hungary, on 24 January 1909, Pikler studied Read more
Egbert Adriaan van der Sluijs, known as Bert, was born in Sliedrecht on 20 September 1892. He was a son of Johannes Abraham van der Sluijs and Sija Helena de Lint. His varied working life took him from the Dutch dredging industry to Curaçao and, later, Australia. Bert worked as Read more
Anne Pieter Erkelens was born in Sliedrecht on 27 August 1911. He was a son of Adriaan Erkelens and Elizabeth Visser and grew up with his brothers Cornelis and Adriaan in a community closely connected with the river and maritime industries. On 18 April 1942, Anne Pieter married Cornelia Leeuwestein, Read more
Dirk Baan was born at Wijk A 981 in Sliedrecht on 10 December 1904. He was a son of Maarten Baan and Neeltje Jannigje van de Graaf and grew up with one brother and three sisters. In 1936, Dirk married Angelina Anna van Dooren in Antwerp. The couple later lived Read more
Willem de Vroom was born in Amsterdam on 28 March 1914. He was the son of Jan de Vroom and Geesje Oord, who lived in Heiloo. Willem trained and worked as an engineer. On 8 May 1940, Willem married Hendrina van de Water in Amsterdam. Hendrina had been born in Read more