IN THE WAKE OF THE BULDEN DRAAK
The name of that dear little 17th Century Dutch discovery pinnace, Duyfken, “falls trippingly off the tongue”. Nor does it lose any of its charm in translation – “little dove”.
Other evocative Dutch ship names woven like silver thread through the tapestry of Australian maritime history are: Guldens Zeepard and Draak, Zeewolf, Batavia and Heemskerk. The captain of the original Duyfken, Willem Jansz, initiated the bequeathing to Australia of a glowing glossary of mellifluous place names, including the first name for the continent itself, New Holland.
Abel Tasman’s Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), was originally given to a mangrove-strangled stretch of coast in Arnhem Land. Then there’s the Gulf of Carpentaria (or. Carpentier), Groote Eylandt and Jansz’s Cabo Keer-Weer (Cape Turnagain).
The west coast of the continent is also embroidered with Netherlandic pearls, like Houtman Albrolhas, Cape Leeuwin and Hartog Island. On our eastern horizon we have the Tasman-discovered New Zealand, an appellation suggesting a flat landscape inhabited by clog-shod, tulip-tending maids. The peripatetic Dutch gave us many sail-age terms as well: yacht; scull; biscuit (as in ships’); boom; barque; schooner (they equally loved both boats and beer); sloop; skiff; yawl; lugger.
The second Dutch visitation to our gulden shores was on the welcome wave of post-war immigration. Dutch names are ubiquitous in Australian society; such as the 1960s model, Willie Kiipman, sculptor Gerald Havekes, swimmers Jon Henricks and Stephen Holland. Then there was an old school mate of mine, Henk van Gargledonk…well, not all Dutch names fall trippingly off the tongue!
Which words in your country are from other places?
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