Camp Columbia and the Indonesian Independence story: Mohamad Bondan in wartime Australia

Indonesian political prisoners and wartime exile

The story of Indonesian nationalist Mohamad Bondan offers a compelling insight into the complex political landscape that unfolded in Australia during the Second World War. His wartime journey reflects a wider and largely overlooked chapter of shared heritage linking Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia.

Bondan belonged to a generation of Indonesian activists who had long opposed Dutch colonial rule. As a young nationalist he became involved in political movements advocating independence, which led to his arrest by the colonial authorities. Like many others associated with the nationalist and left-wing movements of the time, he was imprisoned in the remote detention camp at Tanah Merah on the Digul River in Dutch New Guinea.

With the Japanese advance in 1942, Dutch authorities feared that political prisoners might be freed and support an anti-colonial uprising. As a precaution, several hundred detainees were evacuated to Australia. Initially treated as prisoners of war, they were later released after pressure from Australian trade unions and civil rights organisations. This unexpected relocation placed Indonesian nationalist politics directly within the Australian wartime environment. These so-called “Digulists” would become instrumental in strengthening nationalist organisation, political awareness and international support networks during their time in exile .

Indonesian nationalism in Australia

Once freed, many Indonesian exiles sought employment or support within the Dutch wartime administrative and military structures operating from Australia. At the same time, they quietly built networks promoting the idea of independence. Their cause increasingly resonated with sections of Australian society, particularly within the trade union movement.

During the later war years and immediately after Japan’s surrender, these connections helped foster significant public debate about the future of the Netherlands East Indies. Australian unions, churches and political organisations became more aware of Indonesian aspirations for self-government. This environment would ultimately contribute to major events such as the maritime boycott of Dutch shipping known as the Black Armada, one of the largest industrial actions of its kind in global history .

It was within this politically charged atmosphere that Mohamad Bondan became active in nationalist circles in Australia. His wartime experiences and ideological commitment positioned him among those working to communicate developments in Indonesia and to mobilise sympathy for the independence cause.

Work in Melbourne and the NIGIS network

During the war the Netherlands East Indies Government Information Service (NIGIS) operated from Melbourne as the main propaganda and information agency of the Dutch government-in-exile. While primarily intended to support the Allied war effort and Dutch administrative objectives, the presence of Indonesian staff and political activists within this environment created opportunities for nationalist messaging to circulate.

Bondan reportedly worked within these broader communication networks. For Indonesian exiles, such roles provided both employment and access to information channels that could be used to disseminate news about developments in the archipelago. These activities were closely monitored by Dutch authorities, who remained deeply concerned about the spread of pro-independence sentiment among Indonesian personnel and sympathetic Australians.

From Brisbane to the Indonesian republic

As tensions over the future of the Netherlands East Indies intensified towards the end of the war, the Dutch administration increasingly sought to control nationalist activity within Australia. Camp Columbia in Brisbane, which served as the headquarters of the Netherlands East Indies Government-in-exile, became a focal point for this effort.

Bondan was among those transferred to Brisbane during this period. Such transfers reflected the political sensitivities surrounding Indonesian activism and the Dutch desire to maintain administrative discipline within their dispersed wartime structures. Camp Columbia was not merely a logistical military staging area. It was also a centre of governance, intelligence and political oversight.

At the same time, Brisbane had become an important hub for Indonesian exile networks. Nationalist committees and independence supporters operated in the city, interacting with trade unions, journalists and community groups. These developments underscore the role of wartime Brisbane as a key site in the broader struggle over the future of Indonesia.

A Brisbane marriage

Photograph of Molly Warner and Mohammed Bondan taken in Indonesia, some years after their marriage. From *In Love with a Nation: Molly Bondan and Indonesia: her own story in her own words*, edited by Joan Hardjono and Charles Warner, 1995.

Amid this turbulent political climate, Bondan’s personal life also took a decisive turn. In Brisbane in 1946 he married Australian activist Molly Warner. She had already become involved in campaigns supporting Indonesian independence and was part of a growing movement of Australians sympathetic to anti-colonial aspirations in the region.

Their marriage symbolised the deepening people-to-people connections that developed during the war. For many Indonesians in exile, relationships with Australians provided both emotional support and practical assistance. For Australians like Molly Warner, involvement in the independence movement represented a broader commitment to international justice and post-war transformation.

Legacy and historical significance

In 1947 the newly married couple travelled to Yogyakarta, then the political centre of the self-proclaimed Republic of Indonesia. There they joined thousands of Indonesians and foreign supporters engaged in the complex and often dangerous process of state-building during the revolutionary period.

Bondan continued his involvement in nationalist activities, while Molly began a long career in Indonesia that included working within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She later assisted in preparing English-language speeches for President Sukarno and played a role in organising the landmark Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955.

Her books In Love With a Nation and Spanning a Revolution provide valuable eyewitness accounts of this transformative era and remain important historical sources on Indonesia’s path to independence.

The story of Mohamad and Molly Bondan highlights the interconnected nature of wartime experiences across national boundaries. Their lives illustrate how the forced movement of political prisoners, the operation of governments-in-exile and the emergence of international solidarity networks all contributed to reshaping the post-war world.

For Camp Columbia Heritage Association, this story reinforces the significance of Brisbane as more than a military headquarters during the Second World War. It was also a site where political futures were debated, alliances were formed and personal relationships forged that would influence regional history for decades.

By situating Bondan’s experiences within the wider context of Indonesian exile communities and nationalist activism in Australia, we gain a deeper understanding of how local wartime events were connected to the global process of decolonisation. The legacy of these interactions continues to shape Australia–Indonesia relations and remains an important part of the shared heritage of Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia.