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April 2016 / Newsletter #12
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27th April 2016
Last week we had our annual King’s Day celebration in Sydney!
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander turned 49 on 27 April. During this national holiday, a variety of flea markets, festivals and more activities are organised for the King’s birthday. The orange colour derives from the Royal Family's last name, which is 'van Oranje', or 'of Orange' in English.
The Consulate-General of the Netherlands organised its very own King’s Day in the Sydney Masonic Center, where over 500 guests dressed in Orange attended and danced the night away to Dutch hit songs.
To honour the Dirk Hartog year, the night ended with a fun replication of the Dutch traditional clothing wear of regency from the 17th Century. The Consulate-General team as well as all the sponsors participated in this.
This year was an even more special occasion; Consul-General Willem Cosijn awarded three ex-UNIFIL soldiers a Nobel insignia during their ceremony to honour their service for their 1979-1985 stations in Lebanon.
We are very grateful for the big turn-out, and we want to thank the following sponsors who made this possible: Randstad, Rabobank, Achmea, Arcadis, Scotch&Soda, KLM Air France, ING Direct, TomTom, Heineken, AIX-Rosé and Frico Cheese!
Big thank you to our photographer Susan Darling: http://www.loveandstuffphotography.com/
See all images by clicking here.
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We are now on Twitter: @NLinSydney!
The Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Sydney is now present on Twitter, with account name @NLinSydney. We will be posting updates, show exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of events, and much more.
Follow the Consulate-General in Sydney now so you can stay up-to-date through our Tweets!
Click here for the link: https://twitter.com/NLinSydney
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12 April 2016
On the 12th of April, Holland Hub Australia was officially launched in Perth, WA. Over 65 companies were present at the reception. After Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, Perth was the fourth capital city where the website, an initiative of the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Sydney, was presented.
Former Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven, gave a welcoming speech and Consul-General Willem Cosijn spoke about the key opportunities of being part of the Holland Hub Australia platform that now counts 70+ Dutch companies that are present in the Australian market.
The main purpose of the Holland Hub Australia network is to create a structural, visible Dutch digital commercial presence, where bigger Dutch firms team up with smaller ones, displaying Dutch quality. With this website, the demand for one platform where Dutch economic power in Australia can join forces is met.
The website and newsletter shows news and events related to the companies that are part of the Holland Hub Australia network. Furthermore, information about the Dutch top sectors and company profiles are displayed.
Find out more about Holland Hub Australia by clicking here: http://hollandhubaustralia.com.au/
To subscribe to the Holland Hub Australia newsletter, send an e-mail to: syd-ez@minbuza.nl
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Short news
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"Flying Grocers - Food from Heaven"
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27 April 2016
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In the last days of April 1945, a very special operation began to provide food to the starving Dutch in the parts of the Netherlands that were still occupied by the Germans. During the harsh winter of 1944-1945 the Dutch endured a major famine in the densely populated areas around Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. American B17s and English and Australian Wellingtons did not drop bombs but kilos of food, saving many Dutch citizens with this so called 'Operation Manna': food from heaven.
Therefore, a wreath was laid by Consul-General Willem Cosijn at the Sydney Cenotaph last Sunday, to commemorate the crew of the Aussie squadrons that participated in this life saving operation. Willem Cosijn also met with some of the pilots that actually flew the Wellingtons in April 1945.
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Read more
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'Doing Business in Australia' Day
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The Hague, 7 April 2016
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On the 7th of April, the event ‘Doing Business in Australia’ took place in The Hague. The event was organised by the Consulate-General of the Netherlands and precedes the Dutch economic mission to Australia and New Zealand that will take place later this year, from 31 October until 9 November. Coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the event provided the 100+ Dutch companies that were present the chance to gain valuable insights on economic investments in Australia and how to do business effectively. Consul-General Willem Cosijn gave a speech highlighting economic opportunities for Dutch companies in Australia in various sectors such as Agri & Food, Creative Industries, Energy, Horticulture, Logistics and Water.
Ambassador Annemieke Ruigrok and Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands Brett Mason also presented to the audience, as well as experts from the Dutch economic network and Austrade.
We thank everyone for participating and look back at an informative and inspiring afternoon in The Hague!
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Read more
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UTS Global Exchange Fair Program
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4 April 2016
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On the 4th of April, representatives of the Consulate-General of the Netherlands took part in the University of Technology Sydney Global Exchange Fair Program, promoting academic exchange opportunities for Australian students in the Netherlands.
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Read more 2
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Australian students were informed about the different programs, universities, cities and cultural experiences that an exchange to the Netherlands has to offer!
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Bridging the Distance Project
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Over 300,000 Australians claim Dutch ancestry. Are you one of them?
Every family has its story, what is yours? Whether you are from a Dutch migrant family yourself, or you have migrated family living in Australia, the project is very interested to hear your story!
Find out how you can get in touch by clicking on this link: http://www.bridgingthedistance.com.au/
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Reminder: Internship at the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Sydney
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Deadline: 10 May
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Are you interested in doing a 5 month internship at the Consulate General?
We have two positions opening up in July 2016, in the areas of Communication and Economic Affairs. Please send your application before the 10th of May 2016. Click on the links below this post to be redirected to website of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and get informed on these internships.
For economic and trade affairs, click here.
For communication, click here.
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Read more
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Waiting time for passport application
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At this moment there is a long waiting time for an appointment to renew a Dutch passport in Sydney. The Dutch Consulate-General tries its utmost to help applicants as much as possible. Especially if someone can prove (s)he has an urgent reason to travel (for example medical reasons or a funeral abroad). Still it is everybody’s own responsibility to apply for a new passport in time.
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Be aware of the requirements in many countries where you can make a stopover on your way to the Netherlands. In most cases they require that the validity of your passport is at least half a year after that transit. Even if you don’t leave the airport in that country.
If the validity of your passport is too short, the airline won’t let you board. In more than one case an entire family was denied boarding, because of the limited validity of the passport of one of the children.
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