Introduction The Broome Historical Museum, operated by the Broome Historical Society, is one of Western Australia’s most important regional museums and a key institution for preserving the town’s maritime, multicultural and wartime history. Located in a small heritage precinct overlooking Read more
Introduction Among the most tangible reminders of the dramatic Dutch wartime presence in Western Australia is a salvaged engine from a Dornier Do-24 flying boat, now preserved in the Broome Historical Museum. Recovered decades after the Japanese air raid on Read more
In an article published in The Sunday Mail on 19 January 2025, journalist Jayne Keogh reflects on the long and often under-recognised contribution of Dutch migrants, soldiers and officials to the development of Queensland. The story places this shared history Read more
Dutch passenger liner Oranje was built in 1939 build by the Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Maatschappij and was at the time one of the most modern ones in operation. However, its operation as a liner was cut short by the war in Read more
The wartime story of Jan Bakker and his family The story of Johannes (Jan) Bakker and his wife Maria van Rijswijk is one of war, separation, loss and rebuilding across continents. It begins in the Netherlands in the late 1930s, Read more
Introduction The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme occupies a central place in Australia’s postwar history. Conceived as a nation-building project, it reshaped Australia’s energy and water systems while simultaneously transforming the country’s demographic profile. Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, Read more
The story of the Van der Woude family reflects the experience of many Dutch migrants who helped shape Tasmania’s post-war development. Through small business enterprise, church involvement and later civic leadership, successive generations of the family became part of the Read more
Samanuddin was born in 1906 in Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh), then part of British India. He later served as a seaman in the Netherlands Merchant Navy. Like many Asian sailors recruited by Dutch shipping companies during the interwar and wartime Read more
In February 2026, I visited Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, what I would unhesitatingly describe as the Dutch Cultural Centre of New Zealand. It is located in Foxton, approximately 160 kilometres north of Wellington, and sits directly on the banks of Read more
The North American B-25 Mitchell N5-128 was one of the early aircraft operated by No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF during its formative period in Australia in World War II. Arriving during 1942, N5-128 formed part of the initial Read more