Lest We Forget

Today is ANZAC day... the day we in Australia remember the wars & those "who went off" to fight in them for our country. My family are fairly recent immigrants to this country... I think my parents have been here for about 40 years. Mum came from England and Dad came from China/ Indonesia. But we are all Australian.

My mother's dad, although being an engineer did not fight in the war. He wasn't allowed in the forces, because he was too short! I don't think he scrapped in much past 4ft. He was one of 16, and I am not sure about the rest of the family... but I do know that it was tough during the bombing of London for everyone.

Dad spent most of his childhood in the village of Pontianak in Indonesia. During World Was II it was occupied by the Japanese forces... Stories circulate Pontianak about the young girls hiding under beds and then the old grannies would go under the bed after them. When their houses were raided and the occupying troops fished out what they thought would be a pretty young girl... they actually found an old lady!

Many Indonesian people died during these times and the villagers in Pontianak still remember the day when the Australian troops came and rescued them. They have not forgotten. We remember the troops at Gallipoli... but those that liberated Indonesia are not as well remembered. I think it is because a lot of the details were kept secret. My aunt went on to marry the son of one of these troops... and only recently I heard some of the details. Maybe we will hear some more soon... I had trouble finding anything on the internet.

But what we do know... lest we forget. T