Bonegilla Migrant Experience is displaying a new exhibition which charts the history between Australian and Dutch migration from the 19th century through to the mid-20th century.
Did you know the first European to sight Australia was Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon in 1606, or that Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith made his trans-Atlantic flight in a Dutch Fokker alongside a Dutch co-pilot, Evert van Dijk?
Australia and the Netherlands have a shared history stretching back more than 400 years, cemented by the emergency landing, made with the aid of local residents, of the Uiver airplane in Albury in 1934.
Australia’s Dutch Connections exhibition showcases the ties between the two countries, with a focus on the Uiver story which, in part, led to the establishment of trade and migration agreements between the two countries.
Bonegilla Migrant Experience Team Leader Shelley Knight said the BME team was excited to showcase the exhibition which explores just one of the many nationalities that came through Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre between 1947 and 1971.
“There’s some great memorabilia and artefacts associated with the Uiver,” she said.
“Be sure to stop by and explore this intriguing Dutch display located in the Kitchen Mess Hall, before it comes to an end on July 31.”
The exhibition is on loan by Albury LibraryMuseum and proudly funded by the NSW Government.
