Bram and I decided to emigrate to Australia, the land of milk and honey (not always) in November 1959. In February 1960 we got married, just after my twenty first birthday, and a few weeks later our application to go Read more…
Teacher, community volunteer, alderman, Lord Mayor, Legislative Councillor. It is normal for the eldest son to inherit the farm. This has been true over the centuries, and in many places in the world. Jos (Adrianus Johannes Ansems), known to all Read more…
Due to changing times and ageing volunteers, and lack of interest amongst the next generation, the Dutch-Australian Society ‘Abel Tasman” (DAS) faded away in the years 2012 – 2015. The strength and commitment to be involved in community events waned. Read more…
A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University by Wendy Walker-Birckhead – July, 1988 Abstract This ethnographic study examines Dutch identity and assimilation in Australia. Historically, Dutch migrants have been regarded as a Read more…
In 2012, Australia Dutch Heritage Conferences were held in Canberra, Fremantle and The Hague with the support of the Netherlands Ambassador to Australia Willem Andreas . See also: Conference Papers and Keynote addresses by researchers Migrant (R)e-collections- Proposal for a workshop Read more…
50 years of silence ‘How can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn’t tell them face to face . . . Read more…
The ship was built during the 1930s, she was based in the Netherlands East Indies when Japan attacked at the end of 1941. After the Japanese invasion the ship left for Australia. For its escape the ship was painted in camouflage colours and the ship was disguised as a tropical island with the help of nets, branches, and other greenery. It arrived in Geraldton. Here the ship served as a patrol vessel until 16 August 1942. After that the ship was in service with the Australian Navy.
This is information returned by Robert based on the questionnaire for the associated research projects titled: ‘Footsteps of the Dutch in Australia’; ‘Dutch Contact and Resettlement in Western Australia’; ‘The Evacuation Movement out of the Netherlands East Indies into Australia Read more…
This article was created with the permission of, and with information made available by, Mr. Bijvoet’s grandchildren, Dr. Shanti Wong and Mr. Mark Wardle. Cornelis Bijvoet (1890–1964) was a Dutch shipping engineer who served his country with distinction as a Read more…
Urgent need to replace aging planes – 162 new planes ordered The Netherlands nor NEI and nor Australia for that matter were well prepared for war. In NEI the ML-KNIL were using the no longer up-to-date Martin bombers (from the Read more…