The
city of Darwin is affectionately known to its residents as “the top
end”. It is also known as the “front line” city for the rest of the
country. Having spent five days in Darwin, Lyle and I can understand the
reasoning behind each of these terms.
Darwin,
on the north coast, is located on a peninsula and as such, growth of
the population and expansion of the city is limited. The city is
isolated and has an atmosphere all of its own. “Top end” is a good
description.
As
for the term, “front line” – well, during the years of World War II,
this was actually the case. Darwin was the first line of defense against
the invading Japanese. The city was also the target of a bombing
Japanese air raid. The raid came only a couple of months after Pearl
Harbour and caught the Aussies unaware and ill prepared. Fortunately
most of the women and children had been evacuated further south or over
to Queensland. There was substantial damage to the city and loss of
life. In the wake of the attack, the Australian Government decided to
also evacuate all the livestock so that if the Japanese army were to
land on the shores there wouldn’t be a food supply to maintain them.
Japan recognised the futility of advancing on land and so Australia’s
front line held. Today, Darwin has a good relationship with its Japanese
neighbours.
We
were in Darwin for Anzac Day and I was impressed by the aura of
patriotism. There is a strong military presence in the city. We attended
the dawn service – a solemn occasion. Later in the morning we watched
the march down main street from the cenotaph to the RSL club. The RSL
club is akin to the Legion in Canada. There was a large crowd numbering
in the thousands at both events. It was a great display of patriotism.
With
this post there are two pictures. The first is of the cenotaph with
the floral wreaths and tributes at its base. The second is of horses
passing by in the march. The background of this picture shows some of
the enthusiastic crowd lining the streets.
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| Cenotaph in Darwin |
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| Horses during Anzac Day march |
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