RememberWhen

89 The gentleman in the cap was a passenger on a cruise ship that we were on and I had never seen him speak to anyone on the vessel and he and his wife and daughter seemed isolated. In Dunedin, NZ after a guided tour of a local Cathedral I left the building to see him enjoying a lively discussion with the Piper who had greeted us at the entrance of the church. I was so delighted to see him enjoying himself, I thought it would be a great subject for a painting. Reality Wearily we trudged across the tarmac and entered the Darwin Airport Lounge. The year was 1968. It was a little after 12:45am on a hot Darwin night. Confronting us was a room full of soldiers preparing to go to Vietnam. We were new migrants, from the UK, and the reality of our adopted country being at war, hit us for the first time. It changed from being a line or two of information in English papers and a photo or two and became a horrible reality. These men were off to war. How many would come back? And if they did, would they be changed beyong recognition? I felt the eyes of many upon us and began to feel guilty that my husband, about the age of most of them, was there beside me. I snuggled closer to him and held my baby and young daughter tightly against me. I looked around at them; some were trying to snatch a bit of sleep, others were playing cards, a few were writing. Others, with a show of bravado, were laughing and joking as though they hadn’t a care in the world. In my helplessness and not knowing what else to do, I began to pray for all those unknown men and for their safe return. I will never forget my introduction to Australia; it is etched indelibly on my memory. I’ve often wondered if those I prayed for did come home. I really hope they did. Pam Cain, Keperra Sanctuary, QLD Pat Dillon, QLD