On 26 February, a ML-KNIL Douglas Dakota caught fire and crashed into the ocean about 23 minutes into a test flight from Archerfield, killing all six people – three Dutch servicemen and three Australian crew members – onboard. ML-KNIL = Read more…
Cora Baldock was born on 16 December 1935 in Rotterdam, as Corrie Vellekoop, the youngest of three children. Her father, Cornelis Vellekoop, also born in Rotterdam, worked his entire life for the Norwegian Consulate in that city. His job meant Read more…
The paper discusses what kind of mutual support and care-giving occurs between Dutch migrants residing in Australia and their parents ‘back home’ in the Netherlands. Specific case study examples are used to document the effect of long-distance, as well as Read more…
The book The Devil’s Grin by Toni Harting provides an in-depth exploration of the Japanese military’s imprisonment of Dutch civilians in the Dutch East Indies during the Pacific War (1941-1945). Harting offers a detailed account of the Japanese occupation, focusing Read more…
The following story was told by Les Bryant and recorded in World War II Stories from Brisbane’s South West My aunt was one of MacArthur’s drivers in Brisbane, but her story started overseas. She actually arrived back in Australia about 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…
At a recent DACC meeting Dr. Nonja Peters explored the rich maritime, World War II military, post-war migration, and trade (mercantile) heritage—collectively referred to as the “Four Ms”—that connects the Netherlands and Australia. This historical relationship dates from 1606 when Read more…
The Gemma Constantiniana is a remarkable artifact – only one of three of the Roman period – that weaves together the stories of ancient Rome, Dutch maritime history, and European royalty. This 4th-century CE sardonyx cameo, created during the reign Read more…
Introduction The following are 29 letters, written by one of the first Dutch migrants to Tasmania, who settled in Penguin in 1949. He composed these letters as reports for his cohort still in the Netherlands, encouraging them to prepare for Read more…
The chapter Bitterballen, snacks, nostalgie en Holland-promotie (Bitterballen, snacks, nostalgia, and Holland promotion) in the publication ‘Wat schaft de pot‘ (What’s for dinner) discusses the role of traditional Dutch food, particularly bitterballen and other snacks, in maintaining nostalgia and cultural Read more…