The Dutch royals appeared relaxed, smiling and laughing as they greeted cheering crowds lining the cobblestone, canal-side street below the popular Aboriginal Art Museum in Utrecht – the only facility of its kind outside of the Commonwealth.
Welcomed inside by a crowd of more than 250 Australian and Dutch guests, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Maxima officially opened ‘Mapping Australia: Country to Cartography’, a unique exhibition showcasing Indigenous and European illustrations of Australia’s borders and geography.
“It is important, because this exhibition showcases Aboriginal mapping of Australia – both the physical features and the spirit of our country - and also the early Dutch cartographers, who were the first, quite literally, to draw Australia onto the map of the modern world”, said Australia’s ambassador to The Netherlands, Brett Mason.
“This exhibition brings together different worlds, eras and viewpoints – the way European explorers mapped Australia - and the paintings of Australian indigenous artists, which map the land and depict the deep connection of the Aboriginal people with it.”
The exhibition and royal tour mark the 400th anniversary of the first European known to set foot on Western Australian soil.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima attend the opening of the exhibition Mapping Australia in the Aboriginal Art Museum in Utrecht. (AAP) Source: AAP
The King and Queen spent more than two hours touring the exhibits, including the recently restored Dirk Hartog pewter plate - which was nailed to a wooden post in Western Australia in 1616 - and various Indigenous artworks depicting the desert areas of Central and Western Australia by artists including Willy Tjungurrayi, Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula, Naata Nungarrayi and Cowboy Louie Pwerle.
With the King and Queen listening, Indigenous artist Judy Watson spoke passionately about her connection to country, highlighting 50,000 years of Aboriginal art and culture and the impact of European settlement.
“My family experienced the brutal impact of colonisation first hand,” Ms Watson said.
“My great, great grandmother Rosie escaped a massacre on Lawn Hill, a cattle station in north west Queensland."
At the end of her speech Ms Watson presented the King and Queen with a travel bag for their state visit, including a tube of pawpaw ointment she said “might come in handy” during their stay.
“I want everyone to be aware that everything starts with Aboriginal culture and the land and upon that are the different layers of history that connect us all”, Ms Watson said after showing the royals several of her works, including one depicting the recent Brisbane floods.
State visit
The Dutch royals will visit Australia from October 31 to November 4.
During their five-day visit, the royals will tour Perth, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane before spending two days in New Zealand.
Speaking with SBS News, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said the visit would focus on “confirming and expanding The Netherlands’ long-standing and wide-ranging bilateral ties with Australia”.
A parallel trade mission, involving more than 120 businesses, will also highlight “innovative and sustainable solutions to societal challenges”.
The King and Queen will also meet Australians of Dutch decent.
Between 1947 and 1971 it is estimated around 160,000 Dutch people emigrated to Australia and today more than 400,000 Australians are of Dutch decent.
Considered one of the nation’s most influential men, the trade mission to Australia will be lead by Hans de Boer, president of the Confederation of Industry and Employers.
Hans de Boer will lead a Dutch trade mission to Australia. (SBS News) Source: Supplied
“We are doing very well here, the third most competitive economy in the Eurozone”, Mr de Boer told SBS News.
“We did all we could to prevent the whole Brexit thing from happening, we are very unhappy that it did and we are very worried… on the other hand, now that things have happened, we have always been a competitor of Britain when it comes to locating industries in Europe.
“We expect that over the next 20 years 7000 new multinational companies are considering to have a location here, somewhere in Europe.
“They are surveying the pluses and minuses of other countries and we are in a competition with all the EU countries to get them to our country.”
Mr de Boer believes the Dutch lifestyle and political and financial stability makes the nation an “ideal” springboard into Europe for Australian investors.
Despite positive talk of a trade deal between Australia and the United Kingdom, he says it is unlikely the European Union will grant the UK access to the single market without restrictions on deals with other nations, particularly ones involving agriculture.
“That’s inconceivable”, he said.
Hans de Boer hopes to make The Netherlands a European trade hub for countries like Australia in everything from agriculture to business innovation. (SBS News) Source: SBS News
“If they make trade agreements with other trading blocks that are different to what the rest of Europe has, then all trade will go via England and then into Europe and the other way around, so you cannot have that.
“If they want a free trade agreement with the rest of Europe then they should allow that we say what kind of free trade agreements they have with the rest of the world.”
He conceded other nations may follow the United Kingdom’s lead and make an exit of their own.
“It’s so easy to blame the EU for everything that goes wrong,” said
“It’s not rational, it’s emotional. There is no future without Europe, without the European Union.”
