The KPM steamship Bantam was one of the Dutch merchant vessels that escaped the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies and subsequently operated from Australia. During 1942 and 1943 she carried troops and supplies to New Guinea, where Allied forces depended heavily upon ships of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij. Bantam Read more
RELATING TO: The Voyage of the Duyfken – Willem Janszoon (Master) and Jan Lodewijkszoon van Rosingeyn (Supercargo) , West Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, 1606. Documentary Sources other than original Journals Recording Navigator: J Carstenszoon 1623, taken from:“Summary abstract of the Journal of the … voyage of discovery … with the yachts Pera and Read more
Milly Schelvis was born in Amsterdam 11th September 1919. She had a normal, loving childhood although that is set in the background of Holland in the 1920’s and 30’s. They lived in the poor parts of the Jewish sector of Amsterdam and that meant poor housing, hunger and dreadful filth Read more
Dutch New Guinea The Moluccan policeman (only known as M.E.) operated in New Guinea from 1935 to April-May 1942, first in Fakfak and then in Babo. On the day of the capitulation of the KNIL he was in the area south of Babo, in the Mimika region in Oeta. The Read more
I’ve been doing interviews of Dutch migrants for the Dutch Courier newspaper since a couple of years, and prior to that I wrote many articles about events in my retirement village, or at the Dutch Club in Qld, or Dutch activities in the ACT. But now I’ve been asked to Read more
On 30 August 2023 Arend Reinirus and Catherina Berendina Brugman-Harmes were posthumous awarded the title: Righteous Among the Nations by Mr Chris Cantor the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel in Australia. The medal and certificate were received by their granddaughter Mrs Anne-Marie Buttigieg. Her grandparents with Read more
Although part of the south coast, from Cape Leeuwin to around Fowlers Bay, was first mapped in 1627, there are no documented accounts of any visits until Vancouver entered King Georges Sound on 29 September 1791, staying until 11 October 1791. While extensive investigation were undertaken in the area, and Read more
Nhanda is an Aboriginal language of Western Australia, once spoken along the coastal strip from possibly as far south as Hill River north through to Champion Bay and the mouth of the Murchison, up to country just south of Shark Bay. There has been very little work on Nhanda until Read more
The declassified original secret and top secret documents are in the pdf file at the end of this article. Change of support Australia promptly and unconditionally welcomed the Dutch after the fall of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) in 1942. They wholeheartedly supported the establishment of the NEI-in-exile on their Read more
Peter is a multi-faceted individual with a diverse educational and professional background. Born in Singapore to Dutch parents, he has pursued a wide range of interests and affiliations throughout his life. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree, which indicates his training in marketing, and a Diploma in Ministry Read more