Dutch – Australian History

​Wim Nicolaas Bolle (1917–2000) was a Dutch-born artist whose life and work bridged the cultural landscapes of the Netherlands and Australia. Born in the Netherlands, Bolle spent much of his early life immersed in Amsterdam’s vibrant art scene. His artistic journey was deeply influenced by personal experiences, including the profound

Beeb Birtles, born Gerard Bertelkamp on November 28, 1948, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is a celebrated musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As a founding member of iconic bands such as Zoot, Mississippi, and the Little River Band, Birtles has left an indelible mark on the music industry, both in Australia and

Almar Zaadstra is an Australian artist based in Casterton, Victoria. Almar arrived in Australia at the age of 6 in 1966, the 4th of six children born to Sake and Ytje . They left Oudega in Friesland , Netherlands,  to give their boys a brighter future in a new country,

Dr. Cornelius Willebrod Wouters (18 August 1896, Waspik -20 January 1978, Brunssum). During his youth and early adulthood he moved around the Netherlands. He met his wife in Waalwijk and after several other jobs became a translator for the Dutch National Mines (Staatsmijnen) in Heerlen. He migrated to Australia in

This article is written with the assistance of Richard’s wife Lyn she also made the photo selection below. Lyn is a photo librarian and has been doing this for 60 years.  Richard Woldendorp was born in Utrecht, Holland on the 1st January 1927, and lived for some time in Leeuwarden

Rids van der Zee was a Dutch-born magician who immigrated to Australia in 1954. He was born in the Frisian town of Franeker, in 1923. Van der Zee was a skilled magician who specialised in close-up magic and sleight of hand. He performed under the stage name “Rids the Flying

Pieter van der Stolk was born on September 14, 1934, in Amsterdam. Pieter van der Stolk during his time with Opera Australia. Supplied: Sandie van der Stolk. At a certain stage he moved to Britain, where he appeared in several BBC television shows and films, including “Z Cars,” “Doctor Who,”

Willy de la Bye was born on August 25, 1934, in The Hague, Netherlands. She began her dance training at a young age and went on to study with several renowned teachers and choreographers in Europe, including Maurice Béjart and Martha Graham. In 1957, de la Bye joined the Dutch

Jaap Flier was born in Scheveningen the Netherlands, on 27 February 1934. He began dancing at a young age and went on to study ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London in the 1950s. After completing his training, Flier returned to the Netherlands, where he danced with the Dutch

Carl Van Nieuwmans (also known as Carolus Joannes Nieuwmans) was a Dutch-born Australian artist who was born in 1931 in The Hague. He studied at the Haagse Academy of Visual Arts in the Netherlands and after his arrival in Australia in 1950 at the Sydney Technical School. Van Nieuwmans travelled

Jean Orval was born in Tegelen, Holland in May 1911 and died in Hamilton, Victoria in March 1987. As early as 1926 his emerging talent won him 1st prize in drawing at a Home Industry Expo in Helden-Panningen, Holland. In 1927 a National newspaper honoured him with 1st prize for

Marinus “Rein” Slagmolen (7 November 1916 – 29 January 1999) was a Dutch-Australian artist and sculptor with a background in chemical research. Slagmolen was born in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, as the youngest son of Gijsbertus Slagmolen and Mathilda Maria Slagmolen-Jacobs. As a young man, he spent some years

Hans Arkeveld was born on 27 August 1942 in Scheveningen, Holland. He migrated to Australia with his family in 1952 and lived in migrant camps in Victoria and Western Australia before settling in Collie, WA. Arkeveld left school at the age of 13 and worked as a builder’s apprentice and

Theo Koning was a prominent Australian artist who worked across multiple mediums including painting, sculpture, and printmaking. He was born in the Netherlands in 1950 and immigrated to Western Australia in 1953. Koning studied fine art at the Claremont Technical School and graduated in 1973, the same year he became

Gerard Havekes was born in ‘s Hertogenbosch in 1925. He did his military service in the Netherlands at the start of WWII. He immigrated to Australia in 1950.  He was active in ceramics, painting, sculpture and tapestry. Despite being a self-taught painter and sculptor, he had successful exhibitions of his

Berend van der Struik was a Dutch artist, born on 24 July1929 in Beilen. He studied at the Akademie voor Industriële Vormgeving Eindhoven and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière (Parijs). He emigrated to Australia in 1957 and lived there until 1964. He was a teacher, designer, and sculptor, and

(We are interested in further details and corrections on the personal info mentioned in this article). Ernst van Hattum was a Dutch-Australian artist who was born on January 29, 1923, in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands from 1940 to 1942, before

Henricus Alexander Theodorus (Henri) Le Grand, was born on May 10, 1921, in Zevenaar, the Netherlands. His parents were Petrus Egidius Hubertus Le Grand, a laborer of French-Dutch descent, and Elisabetha Antoinetta van Haren. Henri studied art and ceramics at the Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs te Amsterdam from 1938 to 1942.

We are looking for more information on Alex Rotteveel. Alexander Johannes Rotteveel was born August 11, 1916 at Assen, Assen, Drenthe, Nederland, he died in Toowoomba Qld December 18 1993. He was married to Bouwina Fekkes, born January 10th, 1919 at Assen, Assen, Drenthe, Nederland. She died in Brisbane in

Dutch-born artist Wim de Vos (1947-2018) was born in The Hague and migrated to Brisbane with his family in 1959. Wim’s passion for the arts led him to pursue diplomas in Commercial Illustration and Fine Art at the Queensland College of Art, where he received honors in Printmaking. After his

Pieter Zaadstra was a Dutch-born Australian artist born on January 15th, 1955, at Skraerd, Frisia. He is the son of an art historian. He began his art journey as a young boy sketching in various studios that followed the School of Den Hague impressionism style using cross-hatching oil painting techniques.

Jan Hendrik Riske was born on the Voorstraat in Dordrecht on 21 June 1932, the second of eight children, to Hendrik and Francine Riske. His father was a lead-light glazier who wanted to become an artist but had been discouraged by his staunchly Protestant family. Jan attended a private Montessori

Ian Van Wieringen (1943-2022) was a Dutch-Australian artist born on January 15, 1943, in war-torn Holland. His mother Betty was Jewish, and during her pregnancy, she and her husband were helping to smuggle Jews out of Europe, creating an environment of tension and drama that may have influenced his emotional

Alfred Calkoen was a Dutch-Australian artist who played an important role in the development of the visual arts in Victoria, Australia. He was born on January 1, 1917, in Amsterdam he finished his study in the Netherlands in the Nieuwe Kunstschool (Amsterdam). During his career he also was an art

Two Dutchmen, both passed way, members of the same extended family, yet three generations apart, made a noticeable contribution to Australian culture, by just going about their business. The artist Jan Hendrik Scheltema migrated here in the 19th century, and the other was his great-nephew Cas Jeekel, who just visited

Marta Dusseldorp (born 1 February 1973), the granddaughter of Dick Dusseldorp, the founder of Lend Lease. Martha is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include BlackJack, Crownies (and its spin-off Janet King), Jack Irish and A Place to Call Home. Her story is told in the