Christiaan Rudolph Victor Slotemaker de Bruine (born 7 May 1941, The Hague; died 27 August 2024, Canberra) was a Dutch-Australian landscape architect best known as the originator and designer of Canberra’s Floriade, now Australia’s largest spring festival. He conceived Floriade in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from the famous Keukenhof in 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
The following is a chapter from the book “New Farm 50 Stories” by Gerard Benjamin, a longtime resident in Newstead who has been associated with the New Farm and Districts Historical Society for more than 20 years. He regularly conducts history walks in the area and is the author of Read more
During the Second World War, Dutch and Australian servicemen fought side by side across the Netherlands East Indies. The swift Japanese advance in early 1942 saw the fall of Ambon, the Moluccas, and later Java, resulting in the capture of tens of thousands of Allied troops. Many of them were Read more
Sign petition to safe last of the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plain, Brisbane
The story of Jan (Johannes Wilhelmus Theodorus) and Toos (Catharina) Janssens is a vivid reflection of the Dutch migrant experience in Australia after the Second World War. Together, their recollections offer a rare and intimate portrait of growing up in the Netherlands during the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, the challenges Read more
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) will hold its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 23 September 2025 at 5.00pm (AEST). The meeting will be held online, and a Zoom link will be emailed to current members a few days before the date. We now have over 800 people receiving our Read more
Dutch origins and migration The Otterspoor family came from Utrecht in the Netherlands. Twins Servanus (John) and Arnoldus (Harry) were born there on 19 November 1892, and their younger brother Franciscus Jacobus (Frank) followed on 15 November 1894. Their parents, Servanus Otterspoor and Hendrika Johanna van Kesteren, raised the family Read more
In 2022, Australian authors Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, who is also an illustrator, were chosen to write the Kinderboekenweekgeschenk for Children’s Book Week (Kinderboekenweek) in the Netherlands. Children’s Book Week Children’s Book Week, or Kinderboekenweek, is an annual event in the Netherlands that brings the magic of literature to Read more