Sunbirds by Mirandi Riwoe (UQ Press, 2023) is a historical fiction novel set in the early 1940s in Java. The novel opens with protagonist Anna van Hoorn fleeing the Japanese Occupation of the Indies for the safety of Australia. Near Read more
Reinder O. “Reg” Doedens Memories of Life in Holland and Tasmania 26 January 1924 – 21 December 2017 | Compiled by Anne Rand The article below is a brief resume of the life of Reg Doedens. It is structured on Read more
This again presents a story highlighting the integral connections between the Netherlands – Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) and Australia. During World War II, the Dutch East Indies became a crucial battleground involving both Dutch and Australian forces. Jaap Bakker, Read more
The Dutch history of Schouten Island Schouten Island, located off the east coast of Tasmania, forms part of the Freycinet Peninsula and holds a significant place in the history of Dutch exploration in the Southern Hemisphere. Its narrative, like many Read more
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Gengoult Smith, Read more
In 1944, the United States War Department published a small but detailed booklet titled Pocket Guide to the Netherlands East Indies. Produced as part of a broader series of cultural guides for American troops deployed overseas, this 80 pages booklet Read more
I have lived in Forest Lake, Brisbane for years. But during World War 11,-I was in Java. When the Japanese invaded, the Dutch East Indies government escaped to Australia and ended up at Wacol, Brisbane. My family came later, in Read more
‘Moving Home’ is a large-scale art installation and documentary project that exploresthemes of belonging and displacement through the physical relocation of a Queenslanderhouse from Brisbane, Australia to Eindhoven, The Netherlands. By dissecting the home’sfunction as a dwelling, an artefact, and Read more
Across Australia, immigration walls and monuments recognise people who migrated to this country and contributed to its development. The names inscribed on these memorials represent individual and family stories of departure, arrival and settlement. Some inscriptions also record the migrant’s Read more
Westlanders in Australia is a documentary that tells the story of the Looyen family’s migration to Australia, as seen through the eyes of three generations. This “ordinary Dutch family” built a new life in Australia by establishing their own business Read more