By TANIA PHILLIPS
ON the morning of 14 May, 1943 the hospital ship Centaur was sunk off the coast of Queensland by a Japanese submarine – it sank quickly and was not located again until 2009.
On the morning of 13 May, 2013 – 70 years later the relatives and descendants of the 332 people on board (including those connected to the 64 who survived) met to remember the tragedy.
First they all gathered at the memorial – unveiled 20 years ago at Point Danger – and then when heavy rain hit, officials and school students headed back to Centaur Public School – the school that now bears the ship’s name and carries on its legacy.
School principal Darren Scott said it was an important day for the school and the community.
“It is a significant day because Centaur School has become part of Australia’s culture because of our connection to the Centaur right from our birth back in 1994,” he said.
“I guess it’s a very important day – significant because it’s the 70th anniversary but I think the fact that we’re Centaur School as an integral part of Australian history, Australian culture, that’s why it’s important for us.
“I don’t think there are any more survivors of the Centaur now and the significance now is that it is one of those events where we don’t have the pleasure of their company here but one thing about this generation coming through is for example on Anzac Day – these kids have now got it embedded into them. It’s not a holiday, it’s not a day off, we go to remember those that have given us the luxury to be able to live like this.”
He said Centaur was important in this way too.
“The whole culture is that they sacrificed themselves in service of others,” Darren said.
“We teach our children that it’s not about what you can get for yourself, its about what you can do for others.
“It’s about being humble enough to put yourself second and others first.
“These people were not military at all. Most of them aimed to save lives – it was to help in that regard and they lost their lives in that level of service. The ultimate sacrifice – they weren’t soldiers – they were doctors and all those people to simply help others.”
The service was held in the Centaur School hall and conducted by the students of the school.
At the end it was highlighted by the release of eight white doves by the relatives of three men lost on the Centaur – Phil Butcher, sister of Bill Lawson, Jan Thomas daughter of Dr Bernie Hindmarsh and Sisters Francis and Mary Moran – sisters of Jack Moran.
“Our brother Jack went down on the Centaur,” Sister Mary said.
“They called him “old” Jack – he was 25, most of those around him were 17-18 and some had put their age up to go. After the war he hoped to study to be a doctor. He didn’t believe in violence and his way of helping (with the war effort) was to become an ambulance officer. He had been in Darwin before he went on the Centaur.”
Among the other special guests was local historian Warren Keats who formed the original committee in 1991 to build a permanent memorial at Pt Danger to those on board the Centaur.
“We collected $140,000 and Murwillumbah architect Gary Fiddler designed the monument which was unveiled on the 50th anniversary – 20 years ago,” he said.
“Today some of the students read passages from my original speech from that day,” he said.
