Fall of Rabaul and Kavieng, The

This DVD tells the story of the fall of Rabaul and Kavieng from the perspectives of those who went through it:

• Catalina captain Paul Meltzer was first to spot the Japanese fleet and was shot down. He describes his fiery crash and being reluctantly plucked from the ocean by a Japanese warship.
• Wirraway gunner Colin Butterworth gives his breathtaking account of how he survived the unfair dogfight when six Wirraways took on 120 sophisticated Japanese aircraft over Rabaul.
• Catholic nun Sister Berenice tells of how she survived in Rabaul as a prisoner.
• Army nurse Lorna Johnson Was a POW in Rabaul and Japan. Her account would make any Australian proud.
• Army chaplain John May MBE was a POW in Rabaul and Japan. His is an eloquent and fascinating recollection by a brave man of the events as Rabaul fell.
• Phillip ‘Hooky’ Street and his son James take a helicopter from Rabaul to Toll Plantation. Ian Bates films this historic pilgrimage as Hooky searches for his father – and James for his grandfather – at the actual site of the Toll Plantation massacre. This segment includes magnificent aerial shots of the volcano Matapui belching smoke.
• Andrew and Ryoko MacKay discuss the attitude of today’s young Japanese with Coastwatcher Jim Burrowes.
• Survivor of Rakuyo Maru Ray Wheeler discusses the Burma Railway, being torpedoed on the Rakuyo Maru and his rescue by the American submarine USS Queenfish.
• Lex Fraser OAM recalls the fall of Kavieng and life as a POW in Rabaul.

This DVD also contains footage of the Ballarat POW Memorial Service, recalling the action on New Britain from Norm Furness 2/22 Battalion, with hymns played by the Salvation Army. Details of the role of No 1 Independent Company in the fighting at Kavieng and the surrounding islands is given by Coastwatcher Jack Ranken MM.

There is also extensive coverage of the events at Parliament House in Canberra on 21 June 2010, including speeches in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and interviews with those attending this historic occasion. Bob Katter MP ‘pulls no punches’ when giving his opinion regarding the terrible loss of Australian lives.

Running time: Approx. 4 hours