Migration history
The Dutch Houses of Coopers Plains: From Migration Story to Heritage Landmark
Sign petition to safe last of the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plain, Brisbane
Military and Political History
A KNIL captain’s son: Peter Van de Graaff’s childhood through war and migration
A Dutch–Indonesian childhood shaped by war Peter Van de Graaff was born into a Dutch family in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), today’s Indonesia. His father served as a captain in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger, KNIL). When Japan invaded the archipelago in 1942, the Read more
Migration history
The Otterspoor brothers – Dutch-born Anzacs who fell for Australia
Dutch origins and migration The Otterspoor family came from Utrecht in the Netherlands. Twins Servanus (John) and Arnoldus (Harry) were born there on 19 November 1892, and their younger brother Franciscus Jacobus (Frank) followed on 15 November 1894. Their parents, Servanus Otterspoor and Hendrika Johanna van Kesteren, raised the family Read more
Dutch Culture, Sport, and Religion in Australia
Lia van Haren – Archivist DACC 2009 – 2025
Lia van Haren Lia van Haren has been a long-standing volunteer at the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC), beginning her service in 2009. Before this, she had little involvement with Dutch organisations in Australia, having assimilated quickly into the broader community after migrating with her family in 1950. Her family’s Read more
Military and Political History
Australian and Dutch Judges at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal
The Tribunal and Its Origins The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)—better known as the Tokyo Trials—was convened on 29 April 1946 by Supreme Allied Commander General Douglas MacArthur to prosecute Japanese wartime leaders. It was modelled directly on the Nuremberg Trials in Europe, adopting the same three Read more
Military and Political History
Betrayed and beheaded: the story of Rob Hees and NEFIS Party Lion
English introduction for the Dutch PDF below This Dutch-language document, De verkenningsmissie, Party Lion, van Rob Hees (1901–1942), details the story of Rob Hees, a reserve first lieutenant in the KNIL and civil engineer, who escaped from the Netherlands East Indies to Australia in 1942. It describes his recruitment into Read more
Military and Political History
Hendrik Johan de Haas – Dutch officer in NEFIS special operations
Hendrik Johan de Haas was born in Batavia (now Jakarta) on 28 November 1904, the son of Jozef Hendrik de Haas and Johanna Frederika Susanna Jostein. He married Hendrina Maria van der Meer Mohr in Batoeroesa on 2 January 1911. The couple had two children: Robert Johan (born 28 December Read more
Migration history
Jan and Toos Janssens: A life of family, migration, and memory
The story of Jan (Johannes Wilhelmus Theodorus) and Toos (Catharina) Janssens is a vivid reflection of the Dutch migrant experience in Australia after the Second World War. Together, their recollections offer a rare and intimate portrait of growing up in the Netherlands during the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, the challenges Read more
Military and Political History
Captain‑Lieutenant‑at‑Sea G. B. Salm: Dutch naval liaison and intelligence officer in exile
Brief biography Gerrit Bernardus (G. B.) Salm held the rank Kapitein-luitenant ter zee (equivalent to naval commander) in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). He arrived in Australia in early 1942 following the fall of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), and became the principal liaison between Dutch naval forces and Allied command Read more
Maritime History
Lieutenant Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich: a divided Dutch WWII command in exile
Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich (1886–1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy and one of the Netherlands’ most prominent military leaders during the Second World War. Born in Semarang, Java, he spent much of his career in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), becoming known for his strong leadership Read more