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Camp Columbia in Brisbane’s west is a symbolic location connecting US, Australian and Dutch histories during WWII in the South West Pacific. It is the location where plans were made to re-occupy Indonesia at the end of WWII and to formulate the new relationship between the Netherlands and its former colony. The Dutch operated from this camp […]

Dated : Kamp Columbia 3-8-45 This digitised copy of the original booklet provides a satirical overview of the people at Camp Columbia. The author most likely uses a fictional name: Prof. Dr. K.F. Pescator. Through descriptions of flora, he portrays the various military and civilian ranks and positions of the personnel. Perhaps it was presented

This is a video made by John. This what he writes about himself and his ‘Off Track Xplorer’ YouTube video channel. “My name is John and I’m a SEQ-based Solo Adventurist. I explore places…. on and especially off track. There’s a whole other world to explore off the beaten track and that’s what keeps my

Patricia (Pat) Metcalfe (born 1929 in Cairns) moved to Brisbane when she was 4 years old and after she finished the St Columba school at Wilson, was employed at Camp Columbia as a typist and secretary, first with the Americans and since 1945 with the Netherlands-East-Indies Government. Here she worked for the Department of Works

ATIS was an integrated unit composed of Australian and American intelligence personnel and staff from the other Allied Forces (the Netherlands and China) Their primary responsibilities were the interrogation of Japanese POWs from Gaythorne POW Camp and the interpretation of captured Japanese documents. Given the low surrender rate of Japanese soldiers, ATIS placed greater emphasis

The Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) had a great win in Brisbane for the Camp Columbia Heritage Project. Last month we received a phone call from Cr Sarah Hutton’s office that our funding submission has been approved, under the Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Grants program. Heritage interpretation signage at Pooh Corner Bushland Reserve CCHA’s project

The following is a set of unique pictures received from Peter Dunn, who took the photographs from the exhibits at NARA’s College Park library near Washington DC. They were taken in Brisbane after the US Army had taken over the hospital ship from the Dutch. The original text is published below the pictures. For more

The WWII Rocklea Munition Factory played significant role during WWII. It was one of Queensland’s largest construction projects during World War II, serving as Australia’s most northerly ammunition manufacturing plant. Its importance increased once Gneral Douglas MacArthur established its headquarters in Brisbane and the Allied forces started to make progress. particularly after fighting reached New

The following article was written by Douglas Hurst and includes the information he received from Joan van-Embden-Butler (nee Butler) one of the Women Army Corps (WAC) who also stayed at Camp Columbia in Brisbane. The Women Corps Our lives are often shaped by events beyond our control, and so it was for Ineke Thysse during

Lloyd Gehrke, received these artefacts. His uncle Archie Mann and his wife Grace (the sister of Lloyd’s mother)had a horse-riding business in Kalinga, Brisbane. This city was, after General Douglas MacArthur established his WWII head office here in 1942, an important military centre. The horse riding business mentioned above attracted lots of Australian and Allied

Christiaan Vincent Gradwell (Chris) van Oosterzee, born on March 20, 1922, in Weltevreden (Batavia), and died on April 18, 1989, in Amsterdam, was a significant figure during and after World War II. His life included notable interactions with Australia during his military service. Early Life and Military Involvement Chris van Oosterzee was a member of

On June 20, we gave a presentation to a group of businessmen and professionals, including engineers, accountants, doctors, and lawyers, at the historic Tattersall’s Club in Brisbane. It was amazing to discover that of the 20 people present, several had a connection to Camp Columbia: There is also the annecdote that General MacArthur, whose office

In May 1942, amidst the backdrop of World War II, the Gailes Emergency Landing Ground (ELG) was constructed for the American military. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) subsequently assumed control of the site, categorizing it as a B-1 type airfield, characterised by a single runway exceeding 800 yards. Intended primarily as a crash strip,

The Night of Disappearance On the evening of Friday, May 9, 1986, at around 8:00 PM, Sharron Phillips was reported missing to the Goodna police by her mother, Dawn Phillips. Sharron, a vibrant 20-year-old, had vanished without a trace. Earlier that day, her father and brother had discovered Sharron’s yellow Datsun Bluebird Sedan, registration 463-PKH,

During World War II, the Central Bureau was established in 1942 to support General Douglas MacArthur’s South-West Pacific Area Command. This unit brought together intelligence personnel from various countries, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Concurrently, the Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne (FRUMEL) was formed to assist the

During World War II, the United States Sixth Army played a pivotal role in the Pacific Theater, particularly in the campaigns to isolate and neutralise Japanese strongholds. Initially activated in Brisbane- headquartered in Camp Columbia – in January 1943 under the command of Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, the Sixth Army, known as “Alamo Force,” spearheaded

The jungles and rugged mountains of New Guinea became a grueling battleground during World War II, witnessing some of the most arduous and harrowing combat faced by Allied forces. Far from the spotlight of Europe, the New Guinea Campaign was a protracted struggle against a tenacious Japanese enemy and the unforgiving tropical environment. At the

In April, representatives of the Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) met with John Wright, the director of the MacArthur Museum in Brisbane (MM-B), to discuss the possibility of hosting a pop-up exhibition on Camp Columbia. Since Wacol, the actual location of Camp Columbia, is out of town, we explored the idea of organising temporary occasional

The Digulists This story is about the Digulists – prisoners of war who were captured after the Indonesian uprising of 1926/27. These political prisoners were transported to a specially established concentration camp in Tanah Merah on the Digul River in Dutch New Guinea. By the start of WWII, a large number of these political prisoners

This story is written by Maria Douwes and published in her book: Back to Australia The Douwes family was one of the last families to move from Amsterdam to Australia for a hundred guilders. Both the Australian and Dutch governments sponsored this trip. On December 9, 1960, Maria Douwes emigrated to Australia with her parents, five brothers and