Community to decide how to commemorate the 300 and 400-year anniversaries of Zeewijk and Batavia wrecks
Local historian Howard Gray is holding community forums to uncover ideas about how to commemorate the 300 and 400-year anniversaries of the Zeewijk and Batavia wrecks on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.
June 9, 2027 will mark 300 years since the Dutch trading ship Zeewijk struck Half Moon Reef in the Southern Group of the Abrolhos Islands.
There have been other shipwrecks in the area, most notably the Batavia, with its remarkable story of piracy, murder and heroism on the high seas, wrecking off the Wallabi group on June 4, 1629.
The shipwrecks predate European settlement in Australia and offer insights into some of the first recorded encounters between Europeans and Indigenous Australians.
Ideas for the anniversary include re-enacting the construction of the longboat built by the Zeewijk survivors, sometimes referred to as Sloepie or Turtledove, on the Geraldton foreshore, using tools and materials available to the 18th century passengers and crew.
For the Batavia anniversary there is a possibility of transporting a full-scale replica built in 1995, currently moored at Lelystad in the Netherlands. The replica had previously travelled to Australia for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Other options are working with local theatre groups to produce themed performances around the events of the shipwrecks, street art, murals, exhibitions and educational programs.
The story of the Zeewijk and her 208 crew has been overshadowed by the epic tale of the Batavia but is just as extraordinary.
Almost a century after the Batavia debacle, relatively inexperienced skipper Jan Steyn followed the Brouwer Route across the roaring 40s of the southern Indian Ocean, judging the turn north too late and colliding with the island group.
It took 16 days to ferry the passengers through the rough surf to safety on nearby Gun Island, chosen for its supply of fresh water, seals and migrating mutton birds.
A longboat and 12 sailors were sent to organise a rescue mission but were never seen again, presumed lost at sea.
Following this, the remaining survivors began to build a new vessel, a sloop, from the salvaged wreckage of the Zeewijk. The journey took five months, the small sailboat transporting the 88 marooned castaways 2000km from the Abrolhos Islands to their intended destination at Batavia in modern day Jakarta. Amazingly, 82 of the passengers survived.
It is hoped the community workshops will help find other creative ideas. They will be held between 10am-12.30pm on Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at Batavia Brewery in Geraldton.
To book and to receive an information pack email
hsgray@midwest.com
.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
GUT INSTINCT! 200-year-old sheep intestine condom goes on show
A 200-year-old condom etched with a cheeky image of a nun ogling three excited priests has gone on display at one of the world's most prestigious art museums. The hand-stitched sheath - believed to be made of sheep gut - was likely a saucy souvenir from a high-end French brothel and is now proudly featured at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The print on the ancient Johnny shows a seated nun with her legs spread as she eyes up three very aroused clerics who are flashing their bits under flowing robes. The nun points at one and says: "Voilà mon choix" - French for "This is my choice". Joyce Zelen, curator of print art at the Dutch museum, said the naughty number dated back to around 1830 and was more likely bought for laughs than used for action. She said: "We suspect it was more of a luxury brothel souvenir than an actual condom for use." The racy relic cost €1,000 (£844) and is one of only two known examples left in the world. Zelen added to the Het Parool newspaper: "Erotic art is one of my favourite areas of research. And now we had come to the point where we had to ask the boss if we could bid on a condom. "We even had to add the object name 'condom' to our collection's database, which did not exist yet." Back in the day - long before Durex and latex - lovers got frisky with whatever they could find, from fish bladders to linen sacks. Rubber condoms didn't exist until 1839, after the discovery of vulcanised rubber. Museum bosses say the ancient sheath is also a window into a darker past of 19th-century sexual health, when the threat of unwanted pregnancy and syphilis loomed large. In a statement, they said: "It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health." The well-hung exhibit is now on show in the museum's print room as part of a new display exploring prostitution and sexuality in the 1800s, running until the end of November.
7NEWS
16 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Netherlands PM Dick Schoof resigns after far-right leader departs
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof says his coalition government will become a caretaker administration after far-right MP Geert Wilders pulled his ministers out of the cabinet. In a day of political chaos in The Hague, Schoof will now let King Willem-Alexander know about the resignation of Party for Freedom members. The caretaker government is expected to host a summit of leaders from the NATO military alliance in three weeks. An election has not been confirmed but it is unlikely to be held before October. Schoof, handpicked by Wilders a year ago to lead the government, said he repeatedly told coalition leaders that tearing down the government was 'unnecessary and irresponsible'. 'We are facing major challenges nationally and internationally and, more than ever, decisiveness is required for the safety of our resilience and the economy in a rapidly changing world,' Schoof said. Wilders decision, announced on X on Tuesday, followed a brief meeting of leaders in parliament. Wilders told reporters the coalition's failure to act on his desire for a clampdown on migration was the reason for withdrawing his ministers. 'The downfall of the Netherlands' Wilders, whose Party for Freedom is still riding high in Dutch opinion polls, said, 'I signed up for the toughest asylum policy and not the downfall of the Netherlands'. Coalition partners rejected that argument, saying they all support cracking down on migration. Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, before the meeting said Schoof urged the leaders to act responsibly. But minutes later, the meeting ended with Wilders' exit. 'I'm shocked,' Yesilgoz said, calling Wilders' decision 'super-irresponsible'. After years in opposition, Wilders' party won the last election on pledges to slash migration. He has grown increasingly frustrated at what he sees as the slow pace of the coalition's efforts to implement his plans. Last week, Wilders demanded that coalition partners sign a 10-point plan aimed at slashing migration. This included the deployment of its army to protect borders and turn away asylum-seekers. He warned that if the immigration policy wasn't tightened, his party was 'out of the cabinet'. 'Not putting the Netherlands first' Caroline van der Plas, leader of the coalition's pro-agriculture right-wing Farmers Citizens Movement, said she was angry at Wilders' decision. 'He is not putting the Netherlands first, he is putting Geert Wilders first,' she told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Nicolien van Vroonhoven, leader of the centre-right New Social Contract party that has taken a beating in polls since joining the coalition, said the government could continue without Wilders, saying a minority cabinet 'is definitely an option'. But this now won't happen following Schoof's resignation. Frans Timmermans, the former European Commission climate chief who now leads the main opposition in parliament, welcomed Wilders' decision. He said he would not support a minority government and called for fresh elections as soon as possible. 'It's an opportunity for all democratic parties to rid ourselves of the extremes because it's clear that with the extremes you can't govern. When things get difficult, they run away,' he told the Associated Press.
Sky News AU
18 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘People say thank you': French expat left stuned by these common Australian public transport customs
A European expat residing in Brisbane has been left stunned by Australians' extremely courteous behaviour while catching public transport. The prominent social media content creator, posting under the name "Immis of Oz", was impressed to see Australians lining up to catch busy city buses, and was left perplexed that people go as far to thank the bus driver. The young woman, who has resided in Australia since 2018 after moving from France, was amazed to learn that Australians queue for the bus depending on who arrived first, and said it gave her a significant culture shock. 'People line up when they take the bus in the order of who arrived first, so if you're first you're at the top of the line, but if you are last you are at the end,' she said. 'No one is trying to pass in front of you because they were late,' the women added. Aussies were left astounded that anyone would find the practice unusual, with one user asking 'so what do other countries do? Just push and shove to get on the bus?' Another commenter stated 'it's kind of sad when a cultural shock is that people are polite and courteous', whilst a separate user said 'I'm shocked your shook. How else do you do it? Push in? Be rude?' She said she understood her remarks may be perceived as odd by Aussies, but reiterated that the public transport system in Europe was another beast entirely. 'It sounds so silly, but it actually was shocking to see that people were civilised, so when you come here you have to do the same thing, don't be the one person that doesn't,' said Immis. She was even more taken aback by the fact that Aussie public transport users thank the bus driver after their trip. 'People say thank you when they exit the bus, like one by one they tap the card and they say thank you, thank you, like really?', she marvelled. 'Why is everyone else not like this in 2025?' the girl asked. Her second observation ruffled far more feathers throughout the comment section, with users left dumbfounded that thanking a bus driver was not a universal practice. 'Of course we thank the drivers! They did the driving for us,' one Aussie said, while another stated 'it's not hard to thank someone for providing you a service, it takes 2 seconds'. Others were evidently unaware that Australians had an international reputation for being kind and gracious, with a commenter stating, 'who knew with all of our crassness and casual lifestyle we were also courteous and civilised'. Another asked 'were other countries not raised with manners?'
