On 1 August 1711 the ship the Zuytdorp left the Netherlands with a load of freshly minted silver coins. The ship never arrived at its destination and was never heard from again. No search was undertaken, presumably because the VOC Read more
Dutch migrants Annie and Peter Rijs founded Australian food company Patties Foods. Anna Maria (Annie) Rijs, née Vogels, was born in Haarlem on 15 August 1921. She was the youngest of three children, with older siblings Jan and Corrie. The Read more
This article (English and Dutch versions) was written and shared with DACC by Keith Paulusse. The Dutch text is below the English text. I had the incredible opportunity to hear a remarkable story from one of her grandchildren. Annie Rijs, Read more
Introduction Peter Sitsen (Bergen op Zoom, 1 November 1885 – Sydney, 21 January 1945) was a Dutch engineer, senior civil administrator and one of the principal architects of plans for the economic recovery and reconstruction of the Netherlands East Indies Read more
Research initiated by the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC), with the assistance of the Nederlandse Oorlogsgravenstichting (OGS) and Ipswich City Council, has clarified the wartime burial history of several Dutch and Netherlands East Indies (NEI) servicemen in Queensland. This research Read more
A little-known episode of Dutch–Australian post-war cooperation IntroductionIn the chaotic months after the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Netherlands East Indies entered a turbulent and violent transition. The return of Dutch administrative and military forces coincided with the rise Read more
This article is based on detailed historical notes generously provided by the Drijver family, who have preserved accounts shared privately by Robbie (Rob) Drijver in the final years of his life after the expiry of his wartime secrecy obligations. The Read more
Two cemeteries on one historic site In November 2025 I visited this very impressive cemetery. It is a meticulously maintained, oases of quietness and peace situated on the busy southern side of Jakarta, hemmed in by high-rise apartments and traffic, Read more
This article is an English abstract of the two-part Dutch biography of Jack and Truus Hompe, published on IndischHistorisch.nl and based on Louise Hompe’s family chronicle Uitgestelde huwelijksnacht. Their story shows how the Netherlands, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies Read more
The wreck of the VOC ship Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon) in 1656 is one of the most enduring mysteries of early Dutch contact with Australia. While the wreck site was rediscovered in 1963, the fate of the seventy-five survivors who Read more