The Vergulde Draeck sailed from the Netherlands bound for Batavia. The ship foundered in 1656 at Ledge Point, near the mouth of Moore River, leaving 68 survivors stranded. In 1658, two ships were sent to attempt a rescue. Aboard one of the ships, the Waeckende Boey, was officer-navigator Abraham Leeman van Santwits. This Read more…
A country’s toponyms has many hidden complexities. For example, some name-forms can deceive theunwary in terms of their origins and meanings. Australia’s toponymy is a good case in point.Many of Australia’s toponyms are transparent as to their etymologies, such as, Port Macquarie (NSW),Sandy Bay (TAS), whilst others are more opaque, Read more…
Beaten by tempest and stormed by drift, Steady I keep my post, And laugh at the southern rollers long, For I’m guard of the Southern Coast. I watched the Dutchmen on their way, In the days of long ago, But they set no foot on my rocky shore, Where the Read more…
This article is about Associate Professor Klaas Woldring, a retired academic and longtime member and board member of the DACC. The article contains a short biography of Klaas, and outlines some of his academic work and his interests in retirement. Biography Klaas Woldring was born on 2nd July 1934 in Read more…
After publishing ‘The Lost White Tribes of Australia‘ Part Two, the author Henry van Zanden realised that the Victorian chapters deserved a more thorough investigation and its own book dedicated entirely to the smallpox outbreak in Victoria and NSW. In Victoria, he explored the South-western districts especially Lake Condah and Read more…
In this paper Dr. Nonja Peters explores the manner in which Dutch women, who left the Netherlands at various times during the postwar period, negotiated and carved out an ‘identity’ and satisfied their need for a sense of belonging in Australia. The interpretation derives its conclusions from oral history interview 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…
His life, hopes and adventures written and remembered by Jan (John) Ravesteyn It is a tale of our large family of 10 finding their way in a land and culture where many things have to be learned again and being guided by his Christian faith as the foundation of his Read more…
Andries Snoek (1932-2024) has been writing for Dutch newspapers in Australia for 37 years, contributing to the Dutch Australian Weekly from 1983 to 2004, and to the Melbourne-based Dutch Courier from 2005 till his death in 2024. His career in journalism began at the age of 14 in Gorinchem, when Read more…
The following breakdown provides a comprehensive overview of completed and ongoing research projects in the field of DACC. Allies in a Bind: Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War Australia Explained: A Site for Newcomers and Old Hands Children Born on Ships En Route to Australia Read more…