June 2021 newsletter #72

Dear reader,

In this month's newsletter:

Marjon Wind Honorary Consul Queensland
MH17 Trial Entering New Phase
Vivid Sydney: Dutch Contribution by Studio Toer
Dutch Masters in Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art
Consular Know How
Euro Soccer 2020 Kicked Off
Double Success at EuroHockey
Information on DigiD applications

Marjon Wind Honorary Consul Queensland

On behalf of King Willem-Alexander, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Australia, H.E. Mrs. Marion Derckx has announced Ms. Marjon Wind as the new Honorary Consul of Queensland. Ms. Wind succeeds Dr. Frans Karel de Laat as the Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Queensland in June.

“I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Ms. Wind. As the first female Dutch Honorary Consul in Australia, Ms. Wind brings to the role a distinguished global career in finance and circular economy, together with her demonstrated passion for the Netherlands and Australia,’’ said Ambassador Derckx. “I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the enormous contribution made by Dr. de Laat. I know that Ms. Wind will bring the same dedication and make her distinctive mark.’’

For more information: https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/documents/publications/2021/06/15/new-dutch-honorary-consul-in-queensland-announcement

MH17 Trial Entering New Phase

The Kingdom of the Netherlands offers its appreciation for the MH17 investigation and for all the hard work that has gone into the investigation. Step by step, we’re moving forward in establishing the truth and prosecuting the persons responsible for this terrible disaster.

The trial into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, has entered its next phase and has been relocated to an airbase to allow judges and lawyers to inspect the wreckage of the plane. The Dutch prosecutor’s office believes the July 2014 flight was shot down by a ground-to-air missile fired from an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 passengers and crew on board the plane were killed. The majority of the victims were Dutch with 38 victims who called Australia home.

More information: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/judge-sees-evidence-buk-missile-being-used-downing-mh17-airliner-2021-06-08/

Photo: An exterior view of the Schiphol Judicial Complex on the second day of the MH17 trial, Badhoevedorp.

Vivid Sydney: Dutch Contribution by Studio Toer

This year’s Vivid Sydney (from 6 – 28 August 2021) will host Dutch contribution ‘Bloom’ by Studio Toer. Bloom is an artistic interpretation of opening and closing flowers. This process, known as budding, is one of the most beautiful in nature. Spread over a grassy bank, an array of giant flowers unfurl and furl, creating a constant dynamic that mirrors the ongoing bloom of flora throughout our landscapes.

It’s not the first time Studio Toer has exhibited at VIVID Sydney. In 2019 they participated with their work called Firefly (see photo, credit Vivid Sydney).

More information: https://www.vividsydney.com/event/light/bloom-0

Dutch Masters in Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art

Spanning 500 years, the exhibition ‘European Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York’ in the Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art, offers a breath-taking journey from the 1420s and emerging Renaissance to conclude at the height of early twentieth century post-impressionism. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows visitors to experience works by Dutch Masters as Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Gogh among other works from painters as Turner, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, and Monet. The paintings come directly from collection of ‘ The Met’ in New York – one of the finest collections of European paintings in the world, the majority of which rarely leave permanent display in New York.

Highlights of the exhibition include Fra Angelico’s finely painted altarpiece The Crucifixion c. 1420–23; Titian’s poetic Venus and Adonis of the 1550s; the immediacy and drama of Caravaggio’s The Musicians 1597; Rembrandt’s painterly Flora of c.1654; Vermeer’s beautifully observed Allegory of the Catholic Faith c.1670-72, and van Gogh’s idyllic The Flowering Orchard 1888 (photo).

For more information: https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/european-masterpieces?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwei_7-CJ8QIViw4rCh3a5Q85EAAYASAAEgIsT_D_BwE

Consular Know How

- Did you know that since 2020 you can apply for certificate of Dutch nationality entirely online. You can use this certificate to prevent loss of your Dutch nationality. More information on the online application for the certificate of Dutch nationality can be found here.

- What to do if you have dual citizenship and your Dutch passport is about to expire?
If you are over 18, live outside the European Union and you are a dual citizen (e.g. you have Australian and Dutch citizenship), you can lose your Dutch nationality under certain circumstances. To prevent loss of your Dutch citizenship you have to renew your passport, identity card or certificate of Dutch nationality within 10 years from the date of issue of your current document

- What to do if you only have Dutch citizenship and your passport is about to expire?
In this case you can’t lose your Dutch citizenship. Although your passport might have expired you will stay a Dutch citizen.

- Did you know that besides at the consulate-general in Sydney, passport applications also can be done at the Vfs Global office in Perth, since end of 2019 ? For more information and booking of an appointment, see our website.

- Did you know that also in the second half of 2021 our consular team will visit various cities in Australia to take in applications for Dutch passports and ID cards. You can find the planning on our website: Applying for a Dutch passport or ID card throughout Australia in 2021 | News item | netherlandsworldwide.nl

Euro Soccer 2020 kicked off

On 12 June UEFA's Euro Soccer 2020 kicked off, a year after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last Monday the Dutch team defeated Ukraine in their first match in group C: 3 – 2.

Upcoming group matches of the Dutch side:
- Friday 18 June against Austria at 5am (AEST);
- Tuesday 22 June against North Macedonia at 2am (AEST).
The Dutch team will play all group matches in the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.
If you want to stay up to date with all matches check the website: https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/

Photo ©KNVB

Double Success at EuroHockey

Last weekend both the Dutch men and women national hockey teams have been crowned European champions. The men had to dig as deep as they possibly could against the German side, to safeguard the men’s EuroHockey Championship title, only equalising with time gone dead and then prevailing with a perfect shoot-out. The Dutch women fought off a strong German team to win (2 – 0). It’s the third successive women’s EuroHockey Championship title for the women, making it 11 victories in 15 editions of the continent’s top competition.
EuroHockey 2021 was played in Amsterdam.

Photo ©KNHB

DigiD

DigiD: It is still possible to visit our office and apply for a DigiD. After identification we will email you the code to activate your DigiD. There might be a delay of a couple of days. Please make sure you obtain your ‘baliecode’ shortly before your appointment to make sure this code is still valid at the time of your appointment. You can book in an appointment by using the link mentioned above. For more information regarding applying for a DigiD please check our website https://www.digid.nl/buitenland/

If you have any questions you can call our colleagues of the 24/7 Contact Centre, of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, by dialing the following local number: 02 8305 6800 or you can send them an email by using the contact form https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/contact/contact-form