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Gage Roads: Adventure Beckons for Thirteen-Year-Old Tom as He Sets Out to Make His Mark on the World
Gage Roads: Adventure Beckons for Thirteen-Year-Old Tom as He Sets Out to Make His Mark on the World
Gage Roads: Adventure Beckons for Thirteen-Year-Old Tom as He Sets Out to Make His Mark on the World
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Gage Roads: Adventure Beckons for Thirteen-Year-Old Tom as He Sets Out to Make His Mark on the World

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Fremantle is a bustling town these days, with its harbour filled with troop and battle ships and the largest submarine fleet of all the American, British and Dutch navies. Thirteen-year-old Tom is fascinated by the sailors and soldiers that he meets, the battle scars they show and war tales they tell.

Apart from being the vice-captain of the school’s cricket and football teams, Tom wants more than anything to leave school if he can. Adventure beckons for Tom but trouble is never far away as he sets out to make his mark on the world.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherBookBaby
Release dateJun 17, 2016
ISBN9781925515985
Gage Roads: Adventure Beckons for Thirteen-Year-Old Tom as He Sets Out to Make His Mark on the World

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    Gage Roads - V S Paterson

    18

    1

    11 December 1942.

    Dear Jack,

    It is now seven months since you left home to join up with the army. I hope the training isn’t too hard. I hear the Japanese have taken Taipei. I expect you’ll get to see some of the action soon enough. Mum and all the family send their good wishes. We’ve made some fruit mince pies for Christmas which I know are your favourite treat. Hope to see you soon.

    Your cousin, Tom.

    Finish the letters you are writing please.

    I looked up to see my teacher Mrs. Parker walking around the classroom peering over her spectacles handing out envelopes to the class.

    Place your letters in the envelope please children and I’ll arrange for them to be posted, Mrs. Parker said.

    Today’s lesson was writing a Christmas letter to our family or friends. I decided to write to my cousin Jack. Since Jack left home I’ve written to him every few weeks just to make sure he doesn’t forget us. Although Jack is six years older, he says that I am the closest to him of all our family especially as he has no brothers or sisters of his own. We always play football and cricket together and he has taught me how to fast bowl. I guess we are a little alike in character and being older he looks out for me and sometimes orders me about, but it is only ever in fun, unlike my brothers. He’s now based at the army training camp a few hours train ride north of town where like other new recruits Jack is having basic training before setting off overseas. I wish I could fight in the war too. I have to wait a few more years before I can join up unless I lie about my age, even though I do look more grown up than most of my school friends.

    I remember the day Jack told me he was planning to enlist. It was just a month after the enemy attacks at Darwin and Broome. Jack was playing street cricket with his mates and I called at his house to see if he wanted to go the beach the next day.

    Hi, Jack.

    I walked up to meet him and his friends who were using an old battered wooden pallet as the wickets which were painted with red stripes down its front.

    Hello, Tom.

    Jack greeted me as he turned to face his friend who was getting ready to send a ball towards the new batsman.

    Will you act as bowler for us, Tom? Larry here has a date tonight and needs to have a long wash to clean up his face.

    Jack’s mates laughed as Larry not waiting for Jack to position himself with the bat, quickly tossed one ball down the street and straight through the center wicket. Larry was jumping with glee like he was playing for Australia against England for the Ashes.

    I’m off now. Larry picked up his hat slouched against a nearby letterbox. As you say Jack, I’ve got to look my best for my date with Gloria tonight. I’ll be having a lovely time with my girl, Larry called back to his other two mates, while you chaps will still be playing cricket with Jack and young Tom.

    Larry said goodnight to us and headed off home for his date.

    Come on Tom, bowl me one of your fast balls, if you can.

    Jack threw the ball to me as he got himself positioned at the crease.

    It’s time to get serious now, fellas. I looked to the fieldsmen Rueben and Barry as I prepared the ball.

    Bowl it fast and straight down the middle wicket, Tom. Rueben was giving me clear instruction.

    Jack’s batting is hopeless when anyone bowls a fast ball Tom, Barry said.

    They both were trying to get Jack annoyed so that he would falter. With my two fieldsmen watching on I fast bowled Jack out.

    The sun had set and the early evening sky was covered in a pink shade which meant tomorrow would be a sailor’s delight in bringing forth fair weather, just right for heading to the beach, I thought. We had played at least four innings each so it was now time to go home. Rueben and Barry shook my hand before leaving. Rueben spoke first.

    It was good seeing you again, Tom. You’re a good cricketer and who knows one day you may play for Australia, so keep practicing.

    I sure will, I said.

    Barry was grinning at me. Well Tom, with me and my mates leaving home soon and going overseas in the not too distant future, by the time we get back you may have become a damn good bowler.

    I’ll do my best, I told him.

    I watched Rueben and Barry walk down the street together, one holding the cricket bat and the other the ball. I turned back to see Jack standing by his front gate watching his mates in the distance. I repeated Barry’s words in my head. Going overseas, Barry said, he and his mates he said. I had to find out if this included Jack.

    Jack, I suppose you are heading off overseas with your mates too?

    I was a little annoyed that he had not told me so himself.

    Come and sit down Tom, and let’s have a chat.

    Jack sounded just like my Mum and Dad when they wanted to tell me something serious or important. I followed Jack to sit next to him on the top step of his front porch.

    Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I asked him.

    I only told Mum and Dad a few days ago.

    What did they say?

    I knew that my Aunty and Uncle would not have welcomed the news.

    Mum cried a little and gave me a hug and Dad told me he was proud of me and wished he could go in my place. I’m nineteen now and just like my mates Larry, Rueben and Barry we want to enlist and do our part for the war effort, Tom.

    Aren’t you too young to enlist? I thought you had to be at least twenty one.

    That was the case at the outbreak of the war in ’39, Tom. What with the war going on and our soldiers in the Middle East now being recalled to Australia to fight the Japanese, the army needs younger and fitter men to support them and so the call up age was lowered and Dad has given his consent for me to join up.

    With Jack heading off to war I was worried for him already and he hadn’t even left for training yet.

    I believe there is a likely chance that the Japanese will try to invade, don’t you think so too?

    I imagined that if this was the case then the army may direct its new troops to remain on home soil to offer defence rather than heading overseas to fight a battle in Japanese occupied territory. At least for Jack he would be closer to home and family. Jack put his hand on my arm to reassure me.

    Our coasts are heavily protected in recent days Tom, in light of what happened at Darwin and Broome and other towns up north, so I don’t think they will dare to come down the coast to Fremantle.

    When do you leave to go overseas? I hope it isn’t too soon.

    There is some training to undertake first, Tom. I’ll be leaving in a few weeks for the training camp at Northam and then my mates and I will hopefully join one of the returning infantry battalions and head off to the north of Australia and beyond.

    That’s not long to wait then.

    I was disappointed that he would be leaving so soon. Jack sensed I was feeling unhappy about his news and so as he often did before, he would joke with me to make me feel better.

    There is still plenty of time to help perfect your batting, Tom.

    I laughed at that as my batting was not as good as my bowling.

    Yes, I think I may need some more practice cousin, I said cheerfully. I recalled what Rueben had said about my future cricket playing. Who knows, I may even play for Australia someday.

    And I’ll be back sooner than you think to see it, Tom. Jack sounded ever so sure.

    The night sky was almost total darkness now and I guessed it must be quite late.

    Mum probably wants to know where I got to so I’ll see you later, Jack.

    Be seeing you too, Tom. Jack smiled and gave me a token salute.

    In all the news I had forgotten to ask Jack to go the beach tomorrow. I understood that he now had more important things on his mind than swimming. Walking home that night I realised that the war had never been as close as it is now and we all have to make an effort to keep Germany and Japan out of Australia’s lands, water and skies. It is Jack’s turn now but if the war continues it will be my brothers, my mates, and mine too.

    ***

    Australia being close to the Pacific war all the young lads are eager to get involved and sign up as soon as they finish school. As for me, I’m thirteen years old and finishing Sixth grade at the district State School. I’m not very good at schooling and have had problems with math and reading of which my Mum reminds me each time she asks me to read out loud from her favourite story books. The same can’t be said for my sports, as I am the school’s football and cricket team’s vice-captain, a loyal fan of Don Bradman and a good fast bowler as my cousin Jack and his mates can vouch for.

    Since the bombings of Darwin and Broome we have had many air raid drills at school even when it rains. Mr. Heinrich our sports teacher and all the school boys built the air raid trenches earlier this year. Not much to it really, we dug out very long trenches which were deep enough so that we can all stand but still be below the ground level. It is kind of fun as we get out of class and into the air raid shelters near the oval. It’s always the same routine as the teachers tell us to line up outside the classrooms and walk quickly to the air raid trenches without any talking. We sit there trying to be quiet but with so many school children the teachers have a difficult time with us all especially my mates and me.

    The teachers make us keep small cotton bags at our desks with biscuits, water and bandages inside them as we may have to stay in the shelters a long time, but more often than not I eat the biscuits during class. While at school we are all reminded to carry identification cards that have our family names written on them, just in case the very worst should happen.

    Our lessons at school these days focus on learning about aircraft and how to identify them. At assembly the teachers ask us to sing songs about the names and look of airplanes, both our own R.A.A.F. and those of the Japanese so we would remember the different types of aircraft. We had the Volunteer Corps guard come to visit us a few months ago and they taught us how to make camouflage nets and prepare our school and homes should there be an enemy attack.

    Today is the last day of school for the year and I am looking forward to the summer holidays. Just then I hear the school bell which tells me that school is out. Hooray!

    Goodbye children. Mrs. Parker was waving and smiling to the class. Enjoy your Christmas holidays.

    Goodbye Mrs. Parker, see you next year, I said.

    With my school bag in tow, I followed the others out of the classroom.

    Thomas Simms. Mrs. Parker came to speak to me. I hope you take time to study your math and reading during the holidays, otherwise you may have another unfavourable school report card next year. I am sure your parents will not be happy with these results. Mrs. Parker was standing there at the doorway holding my end of year report card.

    Yes ma’am.

    I took the report card and hid it away in my pant pocket. As if I would have time to study on my summer holidays! Grabbing my empty lunchbox that I had left on the desk, I said my goodbyes to Mrs. Parker again and ran down the front path towards the school gate where I spotted my mates waiting for me.

    Ray Nettle and Ronny Snook are my closest buddies. Ronny is small, tubby with red hair and freckles. He’s the goofy type tripping over his feet all the time. Ray is tall and lanky with straw like hair and reminds me of Dorothy’s scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz and behaving always slightly cocky. But all in all he is still my mate.

    Ray, Ronny and I have been mates since the Fourth grade. That’s when I came to the school from the bush and I didn’t know anyone.

    At the school assembly on my first day I sat next to them both and they were already little rascals sitting behind a girl with pony tails and Ray was tying the ribbons on both her tails together. When the girl Rosemary cried out, ‘ouch, that hurts,’ all three of us laughed. Our teacher Mr. Farley frowned at us and quickly grabbed us by the cuff of our shirts and took us to his office for a chat and a smack by the teacher’s ruler. As the story goes we’ve been mates ever since, having shared a smacking or two.

    Hey Ray, hey Ronny, do you want to go the beach?

    Nah, said Ronny. I have to look after the youngsters at home since Mum is working in the Freemason’s bar tonight. Mr. Tapsall, the Hotel Manager was kind enough to let Mum help out while Dad is still recovering but he should be on the mend soon.

    Ronny’s Dad was convalescing after a bout of influenza.

    Me neither, said Ray. I start my summer job tomorrow selling the afternoon newspaper in town so Mum wants me to help with some chores today.

    We started to walk down the path in front of the school together.

    Okay then, do you both want to come over to my house on Sunday afternoon and we can plan out how we will spend our summer holidays?

    Yes sure, Tom. They both waved goodbye and turned the next corner.

    ***

    It is hot today, I thought. The Fremantle Doctor, it’s what we call the sea breeze, had not arrived so I decided that I would head off to the beach for a quick swim even without my mates. The walk to the beach from school would be long and tiring and as I couldn’t afford the cost of a tram ride, I chose to sneak on at the back of the next tram that passed by the tram stop while the conductor wasn’t looking. There were some other boys too jumping on and off the tram as it travelled into town without the conductor knowing but I guess he did really and just let them on anyway.

    South Beach is my stop. It takes two tram rides to reach the beach but it saves me walking in the hot afternoon sun. I jumped off just as the tram slowed down to enter the South Beach tram station and then I walked towards the nearby shore. The water looks cool and inviting and I am ready for just a splash or two.

    After a quick swim I sat on the beach looking at the sea thinking that even though the war is faraway with our allies fighting the battle, there is still a chance that at any time some Japanese submarine or even a German U boat could come into Fremantle Harbour unseen or sit at the back of both Rottnest and Garden Islands waiting to sneak in shore. Luckily though, there are small look outs with mesh screens camouflaged in the sand dunes at some of the local beaches with guns ready should the enemy land anywhere along the coast.

    Across the beach looking out to the west horizon is Gage Roads; it’s where the ships stay until they come into the Harbour, like a holding place with its deep sea channel and protected waters as it lies on the inside passage of the Indian Ocean. Gage Roads and the Harbour are full these days with a large number of allied naval vessels on active service. Battleships, troop transports, hospital ships and support vessels, including many passenger ships that have been seconded into the war effort.

    Earlier this year the ocean liner R.M.S Queen Elizabeth, now a troop carrier, left our shores carrying Australian soldiers. Uncle Glenn told me that because of its large size the ship couldn’t enter the Harbour and instead anchored in Gage Roads. Uncle Glenn is Dad’s younger brother and Jack’s Dad who lives a few streets away from our house. He is in the Lumpers Union and works at Fremantle Harbour loading and offloading from the container ships that dock in the Harbour.

    After the fall of Singapore and Malaya earlier this year, many ships have come to call Fremantle their new home port. Since that time the Harbour has also become host to a large submarine naval base. There are submarines from the British and Dutch navies and also the American navy that relocated to Fremantle and Albany with its Asiatic submarine fleet from the Philippines. My Uncle says that he counted at least fifteen submarines as they arrived over a period of a few weeks.

    I remember that Dad and Uncle Glenn were in town one afternoon when they saw a scuffle break out between two navy servicemen, one American and the other British and it went from the hotel into the street with a hit and miss on each side. The military police MPs brought the row to

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