On 12 September 1944, Australian airmen Steve Sykes and Lee Turner returned from a daring attack on German shipping near Den Helder with an unusual souvenir. Embedded in the nose of their Bristol Beaufighter was part of a ship’s mast. Read more
Among the many stories of Dutch–Australian cooperation during the Second World War, some are preserved not in official histories but in photographs and personal collections. A remarkable set of photographs and documents from Melbourne in 1944 records one such occasion: Read more
This chapter by anthropologist and oral historian Renate Stapelbroek, Met z’n tweeën in een vreemd land (“The two of us in a strange land”) – published in: in Vughtse Historische Reeks (VHR) (Vught 2013) 13, 122-137. – examines postwar migration Read more
Walter Hes started life in the Netherlands. His Roman Catholic rigid thinking was shaken up by the unfriendly break-up of his first marriage, emigration to controversial South Africa in the 70s having to leave 2 kids to grow up with Read more
Among the many Dutch migrants who arrived in Australia with little more than determination and ambition, Richard Kuipers represents a remarkable entrepreneurial success story. Originally from the Netherlands, he transformed a modest idea begun in a caravan in his Sydney Read more
For many Dutch migrants who came to Australia after World War II, migration was driven by economic opportunity, housing shortages or the search for a better future. For Cees Koeman, however, another powerful force played an important role — adventure. Read more
Among the many Dutch migrants who enriched Australia’s cultural life, Sjoerd van der Meulen brought a particularly international perspective. Music formed the central thread throughout his life, but the journey that eventually brought him to Australia followed a path across Read more
Cora Baldock was born on 16 December 1935 in Rotterdam as Corrie Vellekoop, the youngest of three children. Her father, Cornelis Vellekoop, was also born in Rotterdam and worked for the Norwegian Consulate there. His job meant that as a Read more
In 1978 then-Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Claus visited Australia on an official royal tour. The royal couple toured Australia from 26 May to 6 June, visiting the ACT and all states except Tasmania and South Read more
Long before ambassadors, embassies and formal diplomatic relations between Australia and the Netherlands, there was already practical cooperation between South Australia and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). It was not driven by politics or military alliances, but by telecommunications. Read more