50 years of silence ‘How can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn’t tell them face to face . . . so I decided to write it down.’ Jan Ruff O’Herne’s Read more…
At a recent DACC meeting Dr. Nonja Peters explored the rich maritime, World War II military, post-war migration, and trade (mercantile) heritage—collectively referred to as the “Four Ms”—that connects the Netherlands and Australia. This historical relationship dates from 1606 when Captain Willem Janszoon and his crew aboard the VOC ship Duyfken Read more…
Introduction The following are 29 letters, written by one of the first Dutch migrants to Tasmania, who settled in Penguin in 1949. He composed these letters as reports for his cohort still in the Netherlands, encouraging them to prepare for their eventual migration and urging them to act quickly. It Read more…
The chapter Bitterballen, snacks, nostalgie en Holland-promotie (Bitterballen, snacks, nostalgia, and Holland promotion) in the publication ‘Wat schaft de pot‘ (What’s for dinner) discusses the role of traditional Dutch food, particularly bitterballen and other snacks, in maintaining nostalgia and cultural identity for Dutch emigrants, including those in Australia. Bitterballen, a Read more…
Frederik de Houtman Frederik de Houtman, a Dutch navigator and explorer, played a pivotal role in the early European exploration of Australia. Known for his contributions to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and his skilled navigation of the treacherous waters of the Indian Ocean, one of his lasting legacies Read more…
This article is produced with the assistance AI. Corrections and additions are welcome. Who Were the Boers? The Boers were descendants of Dutch, German, and French Huguenot settlers who arrived in southern Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily under the auspices of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch East Read more…
The Sun in His Eyes, is book written by Renée Belloni. It explores the life of Claude Belloni, a Dutch-Indonesian man whose experiences capture the complex identity struggles of mixed-race Indonesians during and after Dutch colonial rule. Claude’s life, marked by extraordinary events—from surviving a shipwreck and witnessing the atomic Read more…
Nicola Lauren Olyslagers (née McDermott) (born 28 December 1996) is an Australian high jumper. She won the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the high jump. Olyslagers is the current high jump Oceanian record holder, and the world Read more…
The Dutch government of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) ordered several Douglas A-20 Havoc (DB-7) aircraft from the United States just before the start of WWII in the Pacific, intending to strengthen their defenses. These aircraft, used as light bombers and attack planes, were adopted by various Allied forces during Read more…
This article discusses the experiences of Dutch identity and belonging to a music-making group in the Dutch migrant community in Melbourne, Australia. The article shows how making music together can bridge generational, gender and class differences. Multiculturalism empowered the participants to explore their dual identity as Dutch Australians, intersecting with Read more…