Reflections on life before and after the bombing of Darwin.

Casual

Reflections on life before and after the bombing of Darwin.

This year as we commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin, we discover that much has changed since that fateful day in 1942. Austin Asche AC QC is a very proud Territorian, who first arrived here in the 1920s and has vivid memories of his early life in Darwin.

He talks with Zoe Marcham for Darwin Life.

What do you remember of Darwin’s pioneering days?

“It was a small, untidy but friendly town with magnificent characters. Not the green Darwin of today because we had no reticulated water to keep the place green. The water supply was basically from tanks and wells. Everything was brown during the dry season but during the wet season, there was tall grass everywhere. I always walked with my eyes on the ground looking for hidden snakes and centipedes, lizards and green ants. Electricity was just coming in, but my first recollections are of hurricane lamps, ice chests and wood stoves. The pantries were full of tinned food – I particularly remember the condensed and powered milk. A Burns-Philp ship called in once a month bringing our eagerly awaited mail and exotic goods and foods from the south. Everyone rushed to buy whatever it had on board. Fresh fruit was a favourite. I can still remember the taste of those grapes. To go south to Melbourne took two weeks. Telephones were just starting to appear. The telegraph station was operating but there were no radios.

“The great aeroplane pioneers arrived on a few historic occasions and the whole town would proceed to the airport to meet them. I particularly remember Amy Mollison arriving because I was amazed at how small the plane was that she had piloted from England. The town stopped at the ‘2 1/2 Mile’ which is now Parap. Apart from ‘Jolly’s’, practically all the shops were Chinese. The school was also predominately Chinese. They were good kids who became good citizens like Ray Chin and Bill Wong. We had excellent teachers, particularly Mr Tambling – he is the father of Grant Tambling, who instilled in me a real love of the Territory.”

Do you recall hearing that Darwin had been bombed?

“Yes, very clearly. I left Darwin in 1938 and was at school in Melbourne at the time. My memory is one of shock, but also rage. We never thought that the Japanese would get past Singapore. I am quite certain that absolutely no-one contemplated surrender or ultimate defeat.”

Fate brought you back to Darwin in 1944. What changes did you notice on your return?

“I joined the Royal Australian Air Force with great dreams of becoming a glamorous fighter pilot. As soon as I took an eye test, they realised that I would be an asset to the Japanese so I was sent to Darwin as a radar operator. The town at that time had a very battered look. There were bullet holes in most buildings and shell holes on the ground. But the Japanese had ceased coming by then and it was now our aircraft that took off most days to bomb and strafe them. There were military camps dotted all over the place. Most of the civilians left after the bombing. But what else could they do?”

Will you be attending the commemoration service this year?

“Of course. I have attended all of them since I came back in 1986. The ceremony on February 19 must have significance to all Australians. It is a good move to make it a National Day. Our message must always be to be prepared.”