Activity 1: Cracking the code

Introduce students to Morse code using a simple key. Ask them to figure out how to spell ‘Albury’ in Morse. Then, reveal the story of how Albury helped the Uiver during the 1934 London to Melbourne Air Race — a perfect example of community spirit in action.

Activity 2: Mapping the race

Show students the race map with the original 64 entrants.

Students investigate:

• Who made it to the final 20?
• What aircraft did they fly?
• What were the strengths of those planes?

Using Google Maps, students pinpoint the five compulsory stops and the handicap destinations. Each student chooses one aircraft to explore in detail, then join a class discussion on what made certain planes more successful than others.

Activity 3: Game on!

Show students the Dutch commemorative game, inspired by the race.

In groups, students design their own game using:

• The 1934 air race route
• Real competitor profiles
• Challenges like weather or fuel delays

After building their games, they play them in groups and reflect on how different factors shaped the race.

Activity 4: Then and now – shared sorrow

In July Activity 3: 2014, 80 years after the Uiver’s impromptu visit to Albury, the Netherlands and Australia were united in the wake of an air disaster that saw a renewed demonstration of the same mateship and compassion shown in Albury in October 1934. When passenger flight MH 17 was shot down by a missile over Ukraine, Dutch and Australian authorities led an investigation into the causes for the tragedy, united by the desire to hold accountable those responsible.

Have students research and examine the Dutch–Australian relationship in the aftermath of this event, and the combined effort of both countries to ensure accurate and responsible analysis of the disaster. In researching these events, have them answer the following questions:

• What do the Netherlands and Australia have in common with regards to this tragedy?
• What was the nature of the Netherlands–Australia relationship prior to this event? What events had led to this relationship status?
• What has each country contributed to the investigation, in the wake of the MH 17 disaster?

Activity 5: Why migrate?

Students conduct a historical inquiry into post-WWII Dutch migration to Australia. Their response could be an essay, mini-exhibition or report. Using Trove and other sources, they explore:

• What pushed/pulled Dutch migrants to Australia
• Government agreements and migration rules
• Where people were housed and what jobs they took
• The 1952 Bonegilla riot

Activity 6: A letter from Bonegilla

Watch the short 3Hands Studios animation about life at Bonegilla.

Although this film does not feature Dutch migrants, it offers two perspectives of ‘displaced person’ migrants (those received from 1947) on their experiences at Bonegilla, which would have been similar for Dutch people in that same centre as ‘assisted migrants’ (those received from 1951).

Students should use this as inspiration to write a letter from the perspective of a Dutch migrant, either a child or an adult, living at Bonegilla. They should include:

• What life was like before Australia
• Their hopes, disappointments and ambitions
• How they were adjusting to life in a new country

Activity 7: Dutch footprints

Having left the government provided accommodation centres, many migrants assimilated quickly into Australian life, starting their own businesses or contributing to established industries and companies. They had children of their own, starting a new generation of Australians with Dutch ancestry. Share with students, stories of the notable Dutch migrants featured above, giving a brief account of their life in Australia.

Students should research one or more Dutch migrants (or the migrant heritage of a first generation Australian with Dutch ancestry) and the contribution they have made to Australian life. This person need not be famous, and students should be encouraged to discover people of Dutch origin in their own community, or those less well known. You may consider approaching a local Dutch community group, and have students write interview questions and make contact, if appropriate. They should present their findings in a suitable format for sharing with the rest of the class, which might include a video presentation, should students be able to interview people in person. In forming a list of interview questions, or, in structuring their research, they should consider:

• The age that the migrant was on arrival
• Whether they spent time in a migrant accommodation centre
• The life they left behind
• Their prior skill set
• Their chosen profession
• Their initial impression of life in Australia
• How they went about finding or creating work for themselves
• Their chosen location for settlement and why
• Whether they celebrate their Dutch heritage
• The contribution they have made in Australia.

Activity 8: Welcome kit

Have students create a “Welcome to Australia” kit for modern Dutch migrants.
Include:

• Suggested places to settle
• Events and community groups
• Dutch-Australian newspapers and websites

They can present their kit as a brochure, poster, or digital guide.