This 25th of April 2020 marks a day of Rememberance that’s more important than ever this century. Globally, citizens of the world are advised to stay at home in the fight to #flattenthecurve – to not give the Coronavirus COVID-19 a chance to take more lives. It almost feels as if we’re at war, civilians not spared. Yet we fight only amongst ourselves.
Seniors over the age of 70 in Australia are advised to remain at home, and we think of those who are living independently on their own, those who have not been able to enjoy the company of their families due to social distancing, those who have none and are alone. We think and honour all senior citizens and especially remember those who served defending their country, and the borders of their ally nations.
For this reason, we’re also fundraising for a service that’s run by volunteers, that bring so much joy to seniors everyday – the people at Meals on Wheels. Here’s a link to the fundraiser if you’d like to donate.
Join us this 25th April at 05:55 as we stand in silence for one minute, in rememberance of these brave men and women, the Anzacs. Lest we forget.
As a company with presence in both Malaysia and Australia, we feel honoured and privileged to learn about the historical ties that bind our nations. Our Editor Syuhada Adam who originates from Ranau shared that Sabahans in East Malaysian Borneo honour Anzac Day in rememberance of the thousands of allied prisoners of war who were forced to march in what was known as the Sandakan Death Marches that took place from Sandakan to Ranau between 1942-1945. Of the 2,434 prisoners who were held captive, only five Australian and one British soldier survived, all of whom had escaped. It is widely considered to be the single worst atrocity suffered by Australian servicemen during the Second World War. When Singapore fell in 1942, Allied troops who were captured comprised of nearly 15,000 Australians among them.
In a WhatsApp chat with Syuhada, she shared that “About 30 minutes drive after the town of Kundasang, you will reach Ranau town. There is a Borneo Evangelical Church just past town, right before the Marakau intersection. This is where the horrors of the ANZAC POWs happened. Although it looks nondescript, one of the monuments is dedicated to Gunner Neil Cleary, who was tortured for weeks by the Japanese. The tree you see in the picture was said to be used to hang POWs. She shares these pictures taken in 2010 before smartphone era and apologises for the quality.
In sharing this post, a friend reached out to me on Facebook to say that she too had visited the war memorial in Sandakan in 2016 and here’s her travel blog (link). She said, “Visited it. It’s quite beautiful and understated”.
The camp staff who were responsible for overseeing the horror at Sandakan were tried as war criminals and three were convicted and imprisoned. We took the liberty of downloading the audio guide from the Sandakan War Memorial and Gardens of Rememberance, built at Kundasang, Sabah in 1962. It receives hundreds of visitors annually until today.
A tribute to the brave men and women, the Anzacs.
Left to right: Owen Campbell, Harry Jackson, Keith Botterill and Nelson Short arriving at Sandakan Airport. Harry Jackson was not a POW nor involved in the Borneo Death March, but he retraced the route in 1946 after the cessation of hostilities to reward natives who had helped the Australians on the March.
The Sandakan story has got to be brought out into the light. That’s what I reckon. Bring it to their notice, and then they’ll start to talk, and that will bring it further into the minds of the younger generation that is coming up. When you realize it’s got to be told, then you don’t mind the personal anguish, as long as it does some good somewhere along the line and opens people’s eyes.
Owen Campbell – one of the six survivors from Sandakan. Campbell was 87 when he passed away at Adelaide Hospital on 4 July 2003.
May he Rest in Peace.
In 1999, Campbell returned to Sandakan as a member of the Australian Commemorative Mission to dedicate a new memorial for those POWs who died in the area. He said, “I could sense my mates all around me”.
I’d like to give full credit to this phrase – Lest we Forget as it’s used year on year for Anzac references. The origin of the phrase was taken from quotes of an Urdu Persian Muslim poet from Mughal India, Mirza Ghalib. It was then used in a Christian poem written by an English journalist, poet and short story writer who was born in India. Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling, who also wrote the Jungle Book wrote this phrase in the poem Recessional– dedicated to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
God of our fathers,
known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart:
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!Far-called our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!For heathen heart that puts her trust
Rudyard Kipling
In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding calls not Thee to guard,
For frantic boast and foolish word—
Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!
This Anzac 2020, we will stand in silence. Lest we forget, lest we forget.