The Dutch submarine K IX, later commissioned as HMAS K9, was a K VIII-class vessel built for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN) in the early twentieth century. She was ordered on 27 June 1917, laid down at the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde shipyard in Vlissingen on 1 March 1919, launched Read more
This story is about how Little Groningen came to be. The name was coined by the farmer, Geard, who sold the land to the “G7” scouts, van der Laan and Pinkster. (The “G7” was a group of 7 families who had decided to emigrate to Tasmania and establish a building Read more
A family’s journey from persecution to peace In 1939, the Nazi regime upended the life of my grandfather, a tax accountant in Vienna, Austria. He owned a large apartment in the city, but being born in Czechoslovakia made him a target, despite my grandmother Caroline Kleiner’s Catholic faith and blonde Read more
During World War II, as the Japanese occupation swept through the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), the Netherlands government-in-exile faced a daunting challenge: how to maintain control and provide administrative continuity in the occupied territory. Out of this necessity, the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) was born. Established in 1944 Read more
Martina’s early memories were fixed in World War II. Her family lived in Den Helder, a natural harbour on the tip of North Holland. The harbour was also a naval base, and the object of much bombing. Some of the bombs, towards the end of the war, were German V1 Read more
Saturday the 21st of April was the day the Klaverjas Club “Ons Genoegen” celebrated their 50th anniversary. The celebrations started in the morning at the Lenah Valley RSL clubrooms. Players had come together from Launceston and Hobart to participate in a tournament of wits and skill (and a bit of 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
By Meinard Karel Rook – Compiled in 2005 ArrivalWe arrived in Australia in August 1950, after a 6 week voyage from Holland on the Sibijaek. Our first land fall was in Fremantle, then on to Melbourne, where we transferred to the Taroona for the voyage across Bass Strait to Beauty Read more
Special Tasman’s Briefcase to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of Abel Tasman The briefcase was made from black leather, embossed with the Tasmanian coat of arms. Inside there were several compartments. The main compartment contained a carved {profile?] head of Tasman let into a block of Tasmanian myrtle.A Read more
Below is a short summary by Kees Wierenga of the book by Liz Nickols. Names are in alpha order. Copies of the book are available from liz.nickols@gmail.com. Details noted below, especially regarding who is still alive and or where some people are living, was accurate in 2013. The summary below Read more