The article below by Femme S. Gaastra, published in The Great Circle, offers a nuanced interpretation of the role of the Dutch East India Company in the early European encounters with Australia. Rather than celebrating discovery alone, it examines a more revealing question: why the Dutch, despite being the first Read more
In an article published in The Sunday Mail on 19 January 2025, journalist Jayne Keogh reflects on the long and often under-recognised contribution of Dutch migrants, soldiers and officials to the development of Queensland. The story places this shared history in a broader timeline that begins in 1606, when the Read more
From migration camp to Dutch houseThe story of Fred and Marie van Breemen The history of Dutch migration to Brisbane after the Second World War was shaped not only by organised migration schemes and housing initiatives, but also by personal encounters, community networks and the determination of migrant families to Read more
This document presents a first-hand civilian account of work at Archerfield Aerodrome in Brisbane during the Second World War and the immediate post-war years, with particular relevance to the Dutch and Netherlands East Indies presence in Australia. Written by Jean White (née Forrester), the memoir begins with her early employment Read more
This document presents a rare and valuable primary-source record of the early years of the Reformed Church in Tasmania, established by Dutch migrants in the early 1950s. It is based on a surviving collection of church newsletters originating from the Reformed Church of Penguin, the first Reformed Church established in Read more
Missionary origins and the road to Australia In the late nineteenth century, there was growing interest among Catholic women in becoming actively involved in overseas missionary work. This development was closely linked to the rapid expansion of European colonial empires and the social conditions that accompanied them. In many colonial Read more
This article is based on personal documents, military records and a recorded wartime interview provided by Elva Mary Bennett’s son, Russ Morison, together with supporting Australian and Dutch archival sources. The wartime history of the Bennett–van der Land–Morison family connects Australia, the Netherlands, the Netherlands East Indies, Burma and the Read more
Introduction During the Indonesian Revolution (1945–1949), the struggle between the newly proclaimed Republic of Indonesia and the returning Dutch colonial authorities was fought not only on land and through diplomacy, but also in the air. Less well known is the decisive role aviation played in sustaining the Republican cause under Read more
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) has reached an important milestone in the long-term preservation of Dutch-Australian heritage. After several years of preparation, planning and infrastructure development, the DACC Archive Digitisation Project has moved from concept to active implementation. Preserving a unique national archive Since its foundation in 1983, the 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