Epping RSL sub-Branch President’s Report, January 2012 

As we encompass our busy lifestyles as citizens in our modern Australia; participants in the unique character of our nation, it may be all too easy to miss the significance of Feb 19th 2012. This day will be the Seventieth anniversary of the bombing of Darwin in 1942. Whilst older Australians will remember the details and events of those dark days for Australia during 1942 and 1943, for younger Aussies the events of those days should be essential reading in a study of Australian History; to learn of those dark years when our shores were under aerial attacked by the Japanese Imperial Forces.

In 1942, the major component of Australia’s defence forces were committed to the war in Europe and those at home were alone and with no allies close at hand, faced the responsibilities to defend the area to our north known as the South West Pacific Area. Such was the test of our nationhood. A challenge for all Aussies left at home. When the unchallenged Japanese War Machine swept down on is all conquering campaign, following the fall of Singapore in 1941; an overwhelming thrust capturing all the nations to the North West of Australia. The aerial attack on Darwin where more bombs were dropped than at the attack on Pearl Harbour plunged our nation into the War in the Pacific isolating our island continent from the rest of the world. Resulting from those aerial attacks being extended to cities and ports of northern and Western Australia as well as penetrating inland south of Darwin, there was the threat of an imminent land invasion.

With this and ongoing attacks upon our shores continuing well into 1943  the Australian Population had an essential necessity to keep in place the defence of the islands to our north. This pressure and urgency upon the population of Australia at that time gave rise to an overwhelming unity of spirit, a purpose of determination not to succumb to the enemy at our shore.  With such unity of single-mindedness which overrode the petty differences within our population, there arose a bonding of the Aussies which was the force that helped to win the peace some years later. This unity of purpose and mutual help was a replay of that often spoken Spirit of Anzac, first witnessed  at the landing at Gallipoli and again in the horrific conditions of the Western Front in France and Belgium, when Aussie soldiers, called upon in time of challenge, were not found wanting proving themselves equal to the task and as we know today their sacrifices was the price of liberty which we inherited..

Australia today, with a much larger population numbers, comprised of diverse backgrounds is an active player in our modern world. The technology of instantaneous communications is a now a natural part of life that together with our freedom to travel, to think and speak unfettered whilst enjoying the benefits from the wealth for toil, our Nation is the envy of some other nations who may be not so well endowed or liberated.   Today as our nation is involved with ongoing changing relations with other nations, pressured by world powers to comply with other agendas and the demands of international commercial pressures attempt to take unto themselves facets of nations sovereignty, our home land is under threat of another sort of invasion force. There may be no physical or military force applied to the structure of our lifestyle but our allegiances can be diverted by the subtlety of financial gain enforced by impersonal face of cartels.

Our nation looks to the leadership that will respond to this inherent national pride, to  marshal the forces of the Aussie spirit of togetherness ,rekindling a unity of purpose, and to preserve our Australia for Australians.

Let us remember with pride the events of Feb 1942 and its special message to us that Australians were united to meet the challenge to their peace, so today if we are of a mind we can control the invasion from within, to be united in those ideals which we hold dearest, to work for those values that will benefit all and to hand to the generations yet to come an Australia of which they can be proud and which will give to the nourishment that we enjoyed today.

John K Curdie  OAM