The 'spirit of berrington house': the future of Indonesia in wartime Australia, 1943-1945

During the Pacific War prominent 'neo-ethicals' H.J. van Mook, Ch.O. van der Plas and F.D. Holleman established a civil service school in Melbourne, Australia, to train a new generation of Indies administrators who would realise their vision for a post-war Indonesia. Reflecting the ambitions of this post-war future, the school's students would be both Dutch and Indonesian. This study explores the neglected Bestuursschool at Berrington House as a first step in wartime efforts to realise a neo-ethical future for Indonesia. A focus of the study is the experience of two of the school's students; the Ambonese war heroes Julius Tahija and Samuel Jacob. The neo-ethical future for Indonesia would not be realised. The 'Spirit of Berrington House' could not successfully negotiate the changes to Indonesian society brought on by the Pacific War.