Republished with permission. Chapter two from the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf click here. See also: First contact between the Dutch and the Aboriginal People
This migration scheme was an Australian post-World War II initiative aimed at bolstering the nation’s population and workforce by facilitating the migration of ex-servicemen from the British Empire and Allied countries. Recognising the need for rapid population growth to ensure national security and economic development, the Australian government implemented this Read more…
Dutch Indonesian Association – Cairns In April 1995 a small group of Indische mensen’ (people born in Indonesia), such as Rob Elstak, Eric & Rob Marcus, Leo Vandersar, Jan Schmieman and Andreas Flach, came together in Cairns and founded the ‘Dutch Indonesian. Association – Melati’ (Jasmine). Andreas Flach became the Read more…
Introduction Very few people in Indonesia, Australia and the Netherlands know that during WWII many Indonesians fought on the side of the Allies. And nobody there knows the estimate of 4 million deaths. Because both are not part of Indonesia’s official history and therefore its public memory. The article below Read more…
Early Life and Career Jan (John) van Hoboken was born in 1908 in Aalten, Gelderland, Netherlands. He began his career in 1929 when he accepted a position at the Borsumij trading company in the Netherlands East Indies. In 1932, he married while living there. When the Japanese invasion of the Read more…
Throughout World War II, the Dutch Merchant Navy (Koopvaardij) played a crucial role in the global war effort, especially in the Pacific following the fall of the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) to Japanese forces in early 1942. This article explores the enduring legacy of the Dutch Merchant Navy in Read more…
The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hage. Like all the other carnival clubs, The Jokers consider it their duty to give as many people as possible a chance to enjoy themselves Read more…
The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hage. This Federation was formed a few years ago to incorporate all the existing “klaverjasclubs”, whether they were part of an organisation or a separate Read more…
The following text is from a booklet published by the Federation of Netherlands Societies Ltd. in February 1985. The research for this booklet was done by Mijntje Hage. The difficulties of the ‘first’ assisted immigrants were many, “housing” being one of the greatest problems. Although in post-war Holland housing was Read more…
As of 16 November 2024, all known Dutch organisations in Brisbane—loosely connected under the Dutchlink Brisbane banner—came together for the first time to strengthen connections and get to know each other better. The event was centered around the making of bitterballen. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce Queensland (DCCQ) and the Read more…