The Top Ender Magazine October November 2020 Edition

Advertorial
Luke Gosling
Victory in the Pacific – the End of World War II
On Saturday, 15 August, Territorians
gathered at the USS Peary
Memorial to mark the 75th Anniversary
of Victory in the Pacific. The Territory
was our nation’s front line of World
War II. Darwin sustained Japanese
bombing in 1942-43 as did other
towns and cities across the North.
Many Territorians served in the war
and of the 12,000 veterans still with
us in Australia, we honour the three
living in the Territory today.
Charlie enlisted
in 1939 in the
2nd/8th Infantry
Battalion, in Victoria.
One of the first to step forward was
Charlie Parrott, now of Howard Springs.
Charlie enlisted in 1939 in the 2nd/8th
Infantry Battalion, in Victoria. He fought in
Palestine, Libya, Greece and his ship was
torpedoed in the Mediterranean. He was
captured by the Germans on Crete, taken
to Germany and then Poland, where he
was forced to work in a coal mine. After
these terrible hardships, he managed to
get back to England after the war. Known
to all as “Cheeky Charlie”, it is his positive
nature that got him through those hard
times and his years of work and service
to the Territory.
We salute Syd Kinsman of Alice
Springs, a Rat of Tobruk. Syd was sent to
the Middle East in the 2nd/48th Infantry
Battalion, and endured the eight-month
siege of Tobruk, holding out against
Rommel’s Afrika Korps. He was then sent
to Syria and was captured at El Alamein.
He escaped from a work camp in Italy,
walked across the Alps, and got back to
the Allied side through Switzerland. Since
arriving in Alice Springs in 1948 he has
devoted his life to service to the Alice
´ Luke Gosling MP presenting a commemorative medallion to World War II veteran Austin Asche AC QC at the service
for the 75th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific
Syd Kinsman of Alice Springs, a Rat of Tobruk
Springs community, as a volunteer fire
fighter, creator of May Day Parade floats,
life member of the Alice Springs Show
Society, member of the RSL, and contributor
to Legacy and The Salvation Army.
The Christmas lights at his home are an
annual Alice Springs institution.
Austin Asche AC QC joined the
RAAF in 1944 at the age of 18 and
worked as a radar operator on islands
off the Kimberleys, keeping the northern
approaches to Australia safe. Austin
also served here in the NT on Bathurst
Island, which was handy, as he was raised
in Darwin. Austin graduated in law in
Victoria and worked as a barrister in both
Queensland and Victoria. He became a
judge in Victoria in 1976. He returned
to Darwin in 1986 as a Judge of the
Supreme Court and was appointed Chief
Justice in 1987. He was Chairman of the
University College of the NT 1986–88,
and Chancellor of the Northern Territory
University 1989-93. He was Administrator
of the Northern Territory 1993–96.
Perhaps there are yet others that
have never spoken of their service – to
all who served and to those who paid the
ultimate sacrifice, we honour and thank
you. We remember too, the families and
widows of the brave Australians who did
not return home.
We are indebted to the generation
who helped shape our nation and who
we are today.
We salute Charlie Parrott, Syd Kinsman
and Austin Asche – truly great Territorians,
serving our community and our nation, in
time of war and in time of peace.
Luke Gosling OAM MP is the Federal Member
for Solomon (representing Darwin and
Palmerston)
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