The Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) welcomed the Hon Milton Dick MP, Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives and newly elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to Wolston Farmhouse on 4 November 2026.
For the occasion, CCHA reassembled its exhibition previously presented at the Home Front Festival in August. Milton toured the exhibition, with Vic Suchocki explaining several wartime artefacts from his metal detecting collection.
Demonstrating the results of the $20,000 grant
The visit provided an opportunity to show Milton how the $20,000 Australian Government Stronger Communities Programme grant, secured with his support, had been used to improve exhibition facilities, digital heritage resources and audiovisual equipment at Wolston Farmhouse.
CCHA Treasurer Ed Parker explained the expenditure and demonstrated the improvements.
Four short presentations highlighted the Association’s progress:
- CCHA President Paul Budde provided an update on Camp Columbia’s heritage activities and growing support from the Dutch Government through the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE).
- Associate Professor Geoff Ginn outlined the involvement of University of Queensland students in historical and archaeological research.
- Meg Kavanagh discussed the collaboration between CCHA and the National Trust of Australia (Queensland).
- Dr Liam Barnsdale reported on his work updating and republishing Dr Jack Ford’s book Allies in a Bind.
Camp Columbia’s history and international diplomacy
Paul Budde presented Milton with a bound collection of papers from CCHA’s 2025 Brisbane at War symposium. Milton expressed his appreciation and indicated that he intended to take the publication to meetings in Europe later in November.
CCHA was honoured that Milton considered the research sufficiently important to use in his international engagements.
In October 2026, Milton was elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, established in 1889 and now representing 184 national parliaments. The organisation promotes democracy, peace, parliamentary dialogue and international cooperation. Milton has also actively promoted democratic education through his extensive visits to Australian schools.
There is a meaningful connection with Camp Columbia’s history. During the Second World War, American, Australian, Dutch and other Allied representatives worked together at Camp Columbia to address major security challenges. Their cooperation was not without political tensions and competing national interests, particularly regarding the future of what is now Indonesia.
This history illustrates both the opportunities and difficulties of international cooperation, lessons that remain relevant to the IPU’s work today.
CCHA is pleased that its research can make a modest contribution to these wider discussions about democracy, international security and peace.
The Association sincerely thanks Milton Dick for his visit and continued support, together with the National Trust of Australia (Queensland), the University of Queensland and all researchers and volunteers involved in preserving Camp Columbia’s heritage.
Paul Budde
