By Julia Weisz This article outlines the journey of Heinrich (Heini) Kuhn and Josefine (Fini) Kuhn, whose lives reflect the experience of many European Jewish families displaced by war, persecution, and political upheaval, and who later became part of Australia’s post-war migrant community. Early life and migration to the Netherlands Read more
NEFIS and international intelligence cooperation from Australia during WWII The Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942 left the Dutch without their principal territory in Asia, much of their armed forces and most of their established intelligence network. Yet within months, Dutch military and intelligence personnel in Read more
Charles van der Plas: colonial expert, wartime administrator in Australia and advocate of gradual reform Charles Olke van der Plas (1891–1977) was one of the most experienced Dutch colonial administrators of the Netherlands East Indies. Born in Buitenzorg, now Bogor, in West Java, he developed a deep knowledge of Indonesian Read more
A photograph taken in Brisbane on 9 October 1943 captures three of the most senior American commanders in the Southwest Pacific: Admiral William F. Halsey, General Douglas MacArthur and Vice Admiral Arthur S. Carpender. The men were photographed at the US Naval Seaplane Base at Colmslie, which supported the US Read more
Situated on the Brisbane River at Kangaroo Point, Yungaba Immigration Depot was for more than a century the gateway through which thousands of migrants entered Queensland. While it welcomed people from many nations, Yungaba also occupies a special place in Dutch Australian history. For many Dutch migrants, it was their Read more
Among Australia’s many post-war migrant reception centres, Greta Migrant Camp occupies a special place. Located in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, it was one of the country’s largest migrant camps and welcomed approximately 100,000 migrants between 1949 and 1960. For many newly arrived Europeans, Greta represented their first Read more
For nearly three decades, the Reverend Cornelis “Cor” Uidam occupied a distinctive place in Sydney’s Dutch community. He had come to Australia as a minister, but his work soon extended far beyond the church. He met migrant ships, visited hostels, helped families find their way through an unfamiliar society, challenged Read more
When he was 18 years old, Jan van Herweynen was asked by his father to travel to Tasmania, purchase a piece of land and begin building a house. Jan was accompanied by his cousin Bob Brinkman and the sister of his mother, Janny de Jonge. They left Schipol airport in Read more
Anton Roodhuyzen recalls his childhood in the Netherlands East Indies, his family’s internment during the Japanese occupation, their post-war evacuation to the Netherlands and his eventual migration to Australia. My full name is Antonie Roodhuyzen. I am of European Dutch descent and was born on 1 December 1936 in the Read more
The Dutch East India Company Its operations in Asia and influence in pre-British Western Australia Presentation by: Dr Nonja PetersDate: 18 October 2011Venue: Maritime Archaeological Association of Western Australia This is the text of a slide presentation and unfortunately not all slides are maintained in this article How did the Read more