Jan Wakker was a Dutch-Australian jockey who had a successful career in horse racing. He was born on January 10, 1943, in Groningen, and emigrated to Australia in 1950. His family settled in Moe. Fred Wakker (Jan’s father) found a Read more
The Alssema family is a Dutch family who emigrated to Australia in the early 1900s. The family patriarch, Jan Alssema, was born in Nieuw-Lekkerland in 1865. He married Geertruida van der Meer (born in 1871 in Hardinxveld-Giessendam) in 1889, and Read more
Dr. Cornelis Wouters was the founder of the Dutch Folk Dance Group, a group of over 30 enthusiastic Dutch immigrants (later joined by Australians who married Dutch immigrants). They performed folkloric dances at charitable association gatherings. No other group could Read more
Lieutenant Colonel B.J. Fiedeldij commanded No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF during the difficult period in which it was transformed from a collection of evacuated personnel and newly delivered aircraft into an operational medium-bomber squadron. Fiedeldij assumed command at Read more
Dorothy De Rooy (Vidgen) is a former professional surfer and champion who was born in Breda, Netherlands in 1948. When she was three years old, her family immigrated to Australia, and they eventually settled in Mona Vale, where her maternal Read more
‘Aan de rand der wereld. Een Hollandse emigrant in Australië’ with a foreword written by B.W. Haveman, Regeringscommissaris voor de Emigratie (Government Commissioner for Emigration) was published in Dokkum by Schaafsma & Brouwer in 1953. The book is written by Read more
John “Jack” Pannenburg was born in1946 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. His family immigrated to Australia when he was young, and he grew up in Mount Gambier, South Australia. Pannenburg was a talented footballer, and he joined West Adelaide Football Club Read more
In late 1942, No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF began moving from Canberra to McDonald Airfield in the Northern Territory. This complex transfer brought the Dutch–Australian B-25 Mitchell squadron closer to Japanese-occupied territory and marked its transition from training Read more
During October and November 1942, aircrews of No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF undertook an intensive period of bombing and air-gunnery training at Nowra in New South Wales. The training formed part of the squadron’s preparation for its transfer Read more
“Zó is Australië, land en volk” by Paul McGuire. It is a Dutch translation of the book “Australian Journey” originally written by J.L. van Tijn and published in London and Toronto by Heinemann in 1939. The Dutch edition was published Read more