Work is progressing by the Millmerran Historical Society to put together a booklet, museum display and a stone plaque to memorialise the site of the Western Creek internment camp. As it comes together, I wanted to share with you two other photographs I have that were taken inside the internment camp in 1942.
The first is the Western Creek Internees undertaking forestry work in the state forest and Annibale (Joe) is standing to the far right. (This appeared in Joe’s Fruit Shop and Milk Bar.)
The second is a never before seen photograph of some down time within the internment camp, which was usually spent playing cards or the occasional singalong (Annibale (Joe) is sitting front centre). Considering many men came to the camp with one suitcase that carried all they owned, it was fortunate a few also happened to have musical instruments with them that allowed the internees to have some music, especially considering they didn’t have the facilities of other ‘official’ internment camps.
Seeing these photographs, you may understand my frustration when time and again, I was told by various authorities that the internment camp at Western Creek never existed.
I’m very grateful to so many Millmerran locals for their support, kind messages and offers of help since my earlier post about this. And again, very heartfelt thanks to the Millmerran Historical Society and Lion’s Club for their time and efforts, in particular, time spent physically going out to the internment camp site for accuracy.
If anyone happens to have any information or other photographs regarding the internment camp at Western Creek, I would very much like to hear from you so it may be included in what is being put together. Very much appreciated! Zoe x
When I wrote about the secret internment camp at Western Creek in Joe’s Fruit Shop and Milk Bar, I thought that was the end of it. It took several years and almost a detective hunt to put together the information and I met many brick walls from authorities. Some refused to believe the camp that detained hundreds of innocent men during WW2 even existed, others conceded that records for such camps were often scant and, in the years afterward, destroyed. Or not kept at all. (These camps being relatively secret and hidden out in Queensland’s west in forest or bushland when official internment camps at places like Enoggera were full.)
To me, it’s both remiss and insensitive that internees in Australia weren’t given some type of official apology like those in other countries were and, of course, for most it is too late now to hear one. Nonno Anni never bore any bitterness or ill will for his internment, he accepted it with grace as a factor of wartime, but I hope remembering what happened in this way gives back a little of what was lost.
Italian internees at the ‘secret’ Western Creek internment camp in 1942. My grandfather, Annibale (far right, standing) was 18 years old and working as a farmhand at Applethorpe when he was interned.
