ADDRESS BY TARA LYDIATE. WAGIN LIONS JUNIOR ON 2011 QUIET LION TOUR.

Firstly I want to give a huge thank you to the Wagin Lions Club for giving me the opportunity to go to Thailand and be part of the Quiet Lion Tour for 2011.

It was a once in lifetime experience that was most humbling and one that I will forever remember and cherish. I am so grateful that David Piesse shared his memories, passion, knowledge and expertise with me and I thank him for the honour. Before going on tour, I had no knowledge of the events in Thailand during World War Two. The journey of the tour provided me with the knowledge by giving me puzzle pieces each day that came together in the final days of the tour. My first puzzle pieces came from the knowledge and stories about life on the railway shared by Eric Wilson and Mr McPherson (POW).

As I stood along the railway tracks and listened to those stories I painted a picture in my head to comprehend what happened to our men. More puzzle pieces stared to connect with each other as I peacefully wandered through the Jack Chalker Gallery and observed his drawings and paintings. Waves of emotions rolled through my body as realisation of such events truly happened. My puzzle pieces made their final links after my experiences of Hell Fire Pass and the Heritage Trail Walk. Both the experiences were breath taking and one that words could never describe. As I tried to come to terms with such events my heart throbbed to know the sheer brutality and treatment of our men by the Japanese. How one human could enforce such work and cruelty on another human, I could never understand.

Somehow out of these events came heroes and pure Australian mateship. In those horrid times our men continued to have spirit. They sung songs to try lighten the day, they shared of what little belongings they had with their mate and they were by their mate’s side, providing comfort as disease took over their bodies. I am currently a pre-service teacher and have one more year of study.

It is through me teaching that I will carry on the History and Legacy about our Australian Prisoners of War to the present and future generations. I believe that there is a great importance to educate and carry on the history to the future generations about the events of War and what our men sacrificed so we could live the way we do in this great land of Australia.

Lest we forget

Tara Lydiate with Eric Wilson, David Piesse & Jim Wallis