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I am reminded of a wartime story! On the commencement of the war in the Far East in Dec 1941, the fall of Singapore and the subsequent air raid in Darwin, the Australian population was advised to take air raid precautions- in my memory this as a school boy- we arrived at school one morning and the school was addressed by the Headmaster that we were to start to take precautions…
This entailed, in the school grounds, digging slit trenches in which to take cover form any Japanese air raids. It was soon realised that we were 500 miles west of Sydney and some 300 miles North of Melbourne- way outside the range of Japanese aircraft at this time!!

I now have a daughter and family living in Sydney and have visited where I was evacuated to twice and still see members of my school friends of those days.

As a matter of general interest at the Quarantine Station inside the North Head of Sydney harbour carved into the cliff face are details of many ships which were quarantined there in the past, one of which is of M.S Batori October 1940 with the names of some 10 or 20 evacuees carved alongside- obviously done whilst awaiting placement with families.

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