Murray & I enjoy a night in Brisbane before my flight to Darwin
Ah, back to my roots in Darwin - Fannie Bay
Gem & I with Angel showing bomb raid damage (see angel story below)
This angel was in the church our parents were married in when she was hit
Bill Gem & I packing jerky - although Bill seems to be enjoying his coffee instead of weighing the jerky
Uh oh - Nick noticed Bill slacking off and pulled out his big stick "I told you & told you"...
My invitation to Bombing Luncheon
1000 of us comfortably seated in Darwin Convention Centre
Bill Gem & I having a great time at luncheon
3 Cousins: Anna Nick & Mark at dusk
Gem & I proudly pointing to a photo of Dad
Gem & I on our childhood beach with mangroves behind us
Gem & I pointing to Fannie Bay sunset-a bit late methinks!
This is what I am talking about...the photo doesn't do the sunset justice
Although our dad was in Darwin when it was bombed 70 years ago this Sunday (19th Feb 1942) he never mentioned any details of it in my hearing, but then much of the information was classified under the Secrecy Act. Mum told us how she was evacuated out of Darwin (as were all women & children) as a Japanese attack was imminent. She was helping the Matron out in the hospital in Broome when she went into labour and had my eldest brother Tracy on the day after Darwin was bombed. I am flying back to Brisbane tomorrow to attend Tracy's 70th birthday. Hard to believe that I have a sibling who is 70 years old. Ann Landers says: Inside every 70 year old is a 35 year old asking 'What happened?'
Getting back to the bombing - the City of Darwin held a luncheon today for 1000 people, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing. All those people who could validate they were in Darwin during the bombing or were a descendent of someone who was in Darwin at the time, were able to secure a ticket. The response was so great they had to limit the attendance to one ticket per family towards the end. Anyway, my sister Gemma, her husband Bill, and I were able to attend. At the end of the dinner we were all given a copy of the book "Battling Territorians & Their War". I didn't plan to attend, but at the last minute I had the opportunity to help my nephew out in his 'Blackmarket Beef Jerky' business, and it so happened that the week I was up here helping him, the luncheon was on. It was a wonderful event and the people who talked about their experience and the short videos they showed were powerful. Although I was born here in Darwin, like many Australians, I was unaware until recent years that during the period between Feb 1942 and August 1945 there were 64 bombing raids on Darwin and 243 people were killed in the area. Around 400 - 500 were injured. The valuable role played by the indigenous people during the war was highlighted today, and I think it gave a whole new respect to those early aboriginals.
The rest of my week here has been a mixture of helping out Nick in the jerky business, and visiting childhood haunts with my sister Gemma. Nick sustained a nasty cut to his right hand, and as he had recently suspended his operation to upgrade his facilities, he had a backlog of jerky orders to catch up on. I spent several hours a day weighing, bagging and sealing jerky bags for posting and local contractors. Once your nephews get married and have a few kids you rarely get to have any time with them, so this was a great opportunity to enjoy Nick's company. It was also a week that I got to see my son Mark every day. His workplace was down the road from Nick's factory, so at the end of each day, Mark would walk to the factory, freshen up (he kept a change of clothes there) and he ended up joining me in the jerky packing. We spent a few hours each work day together. Even after I leave Mark has arranged to come in and help Nick a few afternoons a week after work. Maybe even sometimes on a weekend too. Depending on Nick's backlog.
In between jerky business, I took time out on a few occasions to join Gemma & Bill for lunch to break up my work day. It was so nice to try out various venues, but also to do some side trips while we were out. We visited East Point where a photo of our dad is proudly displayed along with his other Army mates. We had fun checking out the beach where we used to play as kids. The tide would go so far out you could see no water, but be careful if you were anywhere near a cave or rocks where you could be trapped when the tide came in - it sometimes would sneak in around you, and your access back to the beach would be cut off. We used to play in the mangroves too, and loved squishing the shoots with our bare feet. We were surprised that the number of mangroves had diminished from the numbers in our memories. Our favourite Cheeky Plum tree has gone too...sigh. The sign of progressing years. Thankfully some things never change - such as the magnificent sunsets over Fannie Bay. I don't think there is a better place to see a sunset in the whole wide world. Gemma & I did a bit of the American Lewis & Clark pointing act during our trip - take note Marie & Eric! We sure gave that action a work out during our Alaska trip didn't we?!
In the morning Nick will drive me to the airport for my 6.30am flight. Arriving into Brisbane at 11am. Hopefully I will get a quick nap in our Brisbane motel before Tracy's 70th birthday dinner kicks off at 6.30pm. What a lovely life!
