I have lived in Forest Lake, Brisbane for years. But during World War 11,-I was in Java. When the Japanese invaded, the Dutch East Indies government escaped to Australia and ended up at Wacol, Brisbane. My family came later, in 1945. Dutch East Indies My grandfather was Polish, and he 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…
Marijke van Faassen In “Polder and Emigration,” the Dutch emigration policy is analyzed as an integral part of the Netherlands’ social and economic policy between 1945 and 1967. The book delves into how various key players from government and civil society collaborated post-1945 to shape this policy, situating it within 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…
This paper by Dr.Nonja Peters presents a comprehensive exploration of Australia’s involvement in Indonesian independence and the complex historical narrative surrounding the Dutch East Indies during and after World War II. It addresses the “History Wars” between Dutch and Indonesian perspectives on Indonesian independence, focusing on critical issues such as Read more…
This paper written by Dr. Nonja Peters, explores the social and political context of two evacuations out of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) into Australia, the first from just before the Kalidjati capitulation on 8 March 1942 the second in the aftermath of war from 1945 to 1948. Who were 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…
The paper “Digital Preservation of Cultural Heritage” examines the current state of digitalisation in Australian archives and libraries, comparing it with global trends. It highlights how technological advancements and globalisation allow us to rethink how we preserve cultural heritage, especially in relation to migration. Migrant histories, scattered across borders, require Read more…
By Diane Gabb Introduction Much has been written about the large numbers of Dutch migrants who sought a new home in Australia after the devastation of World War II when over 200 000 citizens had lost their lives and the failed Netherlands economy had little to offer but emigration propaganda. Australia Read more…