From VOC trading worlds to wartime exile: a material history across four centuries Dutch coins discovered in Australia tell a story far richer and more complex than simple first contacts or accidental landfalls. These small objects, sometimes corroded coppers, sometimes fused silver from shipwreck sites, and sometimes the stray pocket Read more
The Zeewijk was a new ship of the Zeeland Chamber of the VOC, her maiden voyage was from Vlissingen (Netherlands) to Batavia departing in November 1726 with 208 seamen and soldiers aboard, as well as a cargo of general building supplies and 315,836 guilders in 10 chests. Jan Steyns from Read more
On 1 August 1711 the ship the Zuytdorp left the Netherlands with a load of freshly minted silver coins. The ship never arrived at its destination and was never heard from again. No search was undertaken, presumably because the VOC did not know whether or where the shipwrecked or if Read more
Dutch migrants Annie and Peter Rijs founded Australian food company Patties Foods. Anna Maria (Annie) Rijs, née Vogels, was born in Haarlem on 15 August 1921. She was the youngest of three children, with older siblings Jan and Corrie. The family later moved to Amersfoort where Annie attended school. Piet Read more
Peter Sitsen (Bergen op Zoom, November 1, 1885 – Sydney, January 21, 1945) , a Dutch architect and civil administrator, was due to play a pivotal role in the operations of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) in Brisbane during World War II when he arrived in Sydney on 21 January Read more
A little-known episode of Dutch–Australian post-war cooperation IntroductionIn the chaotic months after the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Netherlands East Indies entered a turbulent and violent transition. The return of Dutch administrative and military forces coincided with the rise of the Indonesian independence movement and a widespread collapse of Read more
This article is based on detailed historical notes generously provided by the Drijver family, who have preserved accounts shared privately by Robbie (Rob) Drijver in the final years of his life after the expiry of his wartime secrecy obligations. The history of Dutch Australians during the Second World War contains Read more
Two cemeteries on one historic site In November 2025 I visited this very impressive cemetery. It is a meticulously maintained, oases of quietness and peace situated on the busy southern side of Jakarta, hemmed in by high-rise apartments and traffic, It is one of the most important WWII remembrance sites Read more
The wreck of the VOC ship Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon) in 1656 is one of the most enduring mysteries of early Dutch contact with Australia. While the wreck site was rediscovered in 1963, the fate of the seventy-five survivors who reached the shore has never been conclusively known. Recent archaeological Read more
Margaretha Hanen OAM (née Maas) was a social worker whose concern about the lack of specialist services available to ageing South Australians from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds sparked change in this sector. Early years in the Netherlands Margaretha was born in Oldenboorn in the northern Dutch province of Friesland Read more