The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has approached the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) to assist with recruiting people from the Dutch-Australian community to support the 2026 Australian Census. Every five years, the Census provides a comprehensive snapshot of who 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 Read more
When I walked into the Grand View Hotel in Wentworth Falls in the NSW Blue Mountains to have drink on a Saturday evening, I noticed a painting of recently nicely restored hotel painted by James Willebrant. Having the DACC 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 Read more
On 28 October 1945, a Netherlands East Indies Air Force (NEI-AF) B-25J Mitchell bomber was forced to ditch in tidal waters in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. The aircraft, serial N5-254 (USAAF 44-30900), came down in the Glenelg Read more
Introduction: a coalition without equal footing When the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) was created in January 1942, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) entered the arrangement from very different political positions. Australia was formally allied to Britain and had long Read more
During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Navy operated extensively from Australia following the collapse of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942. Dutch naval forces, including submarines, surface vessels, and support units, were integrated into Allied operations in Read more
Establishment in Australia The Vrouwenkorps Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (VK-KNIL) was formally established on 5 March 1944 in Melbourne. Its creation occurred in a setting defined by wartime exile, following the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies and the relocation Read more
Fremantle and the Dutch naval presence in Western Australia From 1942 onward, Fremantle became one of Australia’s most important Allied naval hubs. Its deep-water harbour and proximity to the Indian Ocean made it a key base for submarine and naval Read more
Following the fall of Singapore in February 1942 and the rapid Japanese advance through Southeast Asia, Western Australia assumed unexpected strategic importance. Fremantle became a critical Allied port, serving as a gateway between the Indian Ocean and the South-West Pacific Read more