As Australians around the country remember the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin in the Northern Territory, it has been announced that the commemorative service will be live-streamed across the nation on Feb. 19.
Australians can tune in on Saturday to observe the day in 1942 when World War II came to Australia’s shores, joining the Darwin community to pay their respects to the men and women who fought to protect the nation during the Darwin air raids by the Japanese.
“It is a part of our history all Australians should be aware of,” he said.
Around 10 a.m. on Feb.19, 1942, a formation of 188 Japanese aircraft launched an attack on Darwin, the largest single attack ever on Australian soil.
Despite allied aircraft mounting a counterattack and anti-aircraft gunners fighting to protect the city, by the end of the day, at least 235 people had been killed, more than 400 wounded, 30 aircraft destroyed, and 11 ships sunk, with many civilian and military facilities also damaged.
One of the last surviving veterans to have been there on that day, 101-year-old Brian Winspear, will attend the commemoration service.
He vividly recalls the first bombing of the city, in which he suffered shell splinters to his hand and eye.
“We were in a trench, about fifty yards from the aerodrome, and you could see the Japanese in their cockpits,” he said.
“I looked up, and the sun glinted on the bombs as they were falling, and it was just like confetti.”
The 80th-anniversary commemoration service is being held on Saturday at the Darwin Cenotaph in Bicentennial Park from 9.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Darwin (ASCT) time and 11a.m. to 12.30p.m. AEST.
Larrakia elder Christine Fejo-King said that the experience was devastating for her people.
“We want the wider community to know how Indigenous and non-Indigenous people fought side-by-side to protect our country and to remember together and embrace reconciliation. We can do this by sharing stories and acknowledging what happened,” she said.
“For the people who were here during the attacks on Darwin, it didn’t matter who they were, or what their background was, they were all connected—by death, fear and hope, and their descendants are still connected today.”
In 1942 and 1943, American and Japanese aircraft were also in conflict over parts of Arnhem Land, and Indigenous Australians bushcraft and tracking skills were relied on heavily for search and rescue missions across Northern Australia.
The Bombing of Darwin Remembrance and Reconciliation event will be held on Darwin Esplanade on Saturday from 1.30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Both descendants of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal service personnel will share stories, including a message of apology from an elderly Japanese man from Himeji to a Larrakia Traditional Owner.
