Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop and Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Australia, Erica Schouten recently launched ‘Boemerang’ in Australia, a special commemorative magazine that captures the rich history and close ties of the two nations.
The Australian launch follows the official launch of the magazine in the Netherlands on 5 October during Aussie Oktober, attended by Australian journalist and best-selling author Peter FitzSimons and well-known underwater archaeologist Martijn Manders.
Launched during the Dirk Hartog anniversary year, which celebrates one of the Dutchmen who literally put Australia on the map 400 years ago, ‘Boemerang’ is symbolic of the Dutch-Australian connectedness steeped in history and strengthened through time.
Ambassador Erica Schouten said ‘Boemerang’ was an international celebration of the continued partnership between the Netherlands and Australia.
“This special magazine showcases stories that are part of the fabric of both our nations. Dutch-Australian relations first began 400 years ago with Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog’s landfall on the West Australian coast, and our partnership has since been cast through common interests and commercial links. Bound by our shared history, values and enterprise, the shared stories of our nations have now literally been bound together in this special one-off publication,” Mrs Schouten said.
‘Boemerang’ has been launched ahead of Dutch royal visit to Australia from 31 October to 4 November. His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Maxima will receive copies of the commemorative magazine during their visit.
The publication of ‘Boemerang’ has been made possible through the partnership between the Australian Embassy in the Netherlands, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, DutchCulture, the Dutch Embassy in Australia and the National Archives of the Netherlands.
‘Boemerang’ is available for download at:
http://bit.ly/2d6x20H (English)
http://bit.ly/2dWkokP (Dutch)
Free print copies of ‘Boemerang’ are available in English in Australia. To request a copy, send a self-addressed, pre-paid envelope to the Netherlands Embassy in Australia. Orders will be processed following the State Visit in early November. For further details, see http://bit.ly/2dlOARU, email can-pcz@minbuza.nl or phone 6220 9400.
Dutch Australian 