Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I published a story in my community newspaper, the Bass Bulletin, sharing the story of the local Chin community and the struggles that so many of their relatives still face back home in Myanmar. After reading this story, a local man, Stewart Bain, sent an email to the local Chin community group to share a personal story of his father's time in Burma during World War II.

Stewart and his parents arrived in Tasmania in 1959 from Scotland. His parents both served in World War II, and his father served as a British soldier with the Black Watch Chindits in Burma, spending 5½ months fighting the Japanese. Stewart said:

As a little boy my father always told me what wonderful people the Chin … people of Burma were. They were brave, kind, resourceful and helped them immensely and had provided him with the best meal he ever had in his life.

Stewart's father was badly injured in a small village called Labu, where he walked through the jungle for two days and almost bled to death with maggots in his wounds. Eventually, he was repatriated to hospital in India by Sunderland flying boat. Stewart said:

My father was recovering from his wounds when they dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and that stopped the war. He never had the opportunity to thank his many Chin friends. I would like to take the opportunity to thank your Chin Community in person on his behalf 78 years later.

I'm pleased to report that Stewart has since personally met with leaders of the local Chin community, with Rolance from the community describing the meeting as a 'reunion between long-lost families'.