Flight of the Jabiru (7 page)

As the sun slipped below the dunes in the distance, bringing relief from the heat, and turning the sky crimson, the passengers were told the ship had left the Red Sea and was moving into the Gulf of Aden.

Dinner was served in the dining room where the crew and passengers ate together, although on separate tables. On the menu was cream-of-mushroom soup, cold roast ribs of beef, beetroot, potato salad, and ice cream. The name of the Australian cook aboard ship was Mick Thompson. The passengers adored his accent and enjoyed his food.

In the evenings the passengers and crew played cards to pass the time so they got to know each other quite well. The radio was always on in the background because everyone was eager to learn news of the war, most of them tense because they had family who were involved. It was a topic discussed most meal times and evenings. When the passengers heard reports on the radio about the Japanese searching for islands suitable to use as a base in the Pacific region, they became worried. They pressed Captain Callahan for information on how safe he thought they'd be once they were in open sea crossing the Indian Ocean. The captain didn't seem in the least worried.

“You might see a few Jap planes,” he told them. “But they'll be off in the distance and not too interested in us.”

“What if we're torpedoed by a Japanese submarine?” Edith Elliott suggested dramatically.

This statement alarmed the other passengers, but Captain Callaghan brushed off such a suggestion. “That won't happen, Edith.”

Ron had a pair of binoculars that he used to scan the horizon for other ships to relieve boredom. Henry played with them sometimes.

“Dad, I see a plane in the sky,” Henry called on the afternoon of the twentieth day of travel. They were six hundred miles west of the Australian mainland and had crossed the equator. Most of the passengers were sitting in deck chairs reading and relaxing. It was still warm, but there was a pleasant breeze. “It has a red ball painted on the side.”

The passengers jumped to attention, including Ron and Jessica. Ron took the binoculars from Henry and looked through them. “Henry is right,” he said. “It's a Japanese plane,” he added in alarm.

“Is it coming this way?” Lara asked. She was sitting alongside Edith, who'd gone as pale as a bed sheet.

“No,” Ron said, scanning the sky. “But there's more than one plane.”

“Captain Callaghan,” Edith screeched, as she scrambled to her feet. “You said we were safe.”

The captain had been watching the passengers from the wheelhouse. He stuck his head out of the door. “We are safe,” he called. “Look to the starboard side of the ship.” He pointed to his right at a ship half a mile away. “That's an Australian navy frigate. They've been escorting us for the past twenty miles.” Again, he sounded completely unperturbed.

Ron turned around and used the binoculars. The passengers watched him with baited breath. “It is an Australian navy ship,” he said.

“What if the Jap's try to bomb the navy ship?” Edith said, thinking aloud. “They might go for us, too.”

“They won't chance getting shot out of the sky,” Ron reassured her, still looking through his binoculars. “That navy ship's decks are covered in anti-aircraft guns, and they're well-manned.”

“Let me see,” another male passenger asked and the binoculars did the rounds.

CHAPTER SIX

June 1941

Lara struck a lonely figure standing at the railing of the
MV Neptuna
as the ship approached Darwin Harbor at sunset, thirty-one days after leaving Southampton. Barefoot, with her shoes in her hands, she took a long, slow breath of tangy, salt air and gazed up at the Heavens, trying to ignore the tight knot growing in her stomach. It was a relief not to see Japanese planes in the sky, especially since they were no longer being accompanied by a navy frigate.

The western horizon was aflame as the sun dipped into the molten, rolling sea. It was a breathtaking sight, simply stunning; like nothing she'd ever seen, certainly not in County Suffolk. All that was missing was someone she loved to share it with.

“Oh, Dad! I wish you were here,” she whispered, overwhelmed with loneliness and fighting tears. She never thought it possible, but she missed her dad more with each passing day.

Lara's heart ached as the ship plowed through the Timor Sea, leaving a wake of white foam. As her destination got closer and closer, so her trepidation grew. She was about to start a new life in a foreign land, never more conscious of the strange and unexpected turn of events that had led her to this moment. The prospect of the unknown and possibly more unexpected twists and turns was terrifying, and yet strangely exciting at the same time.

Three days earlier, all but five passengers left the ship in Fremantle, Western Australia. Lara had envied them as she was desperate to set foot on dry land again. She soon missed her cabin mates and the children aboard, but their exodus had not been without drama.

Surprisingly, one of the crewmen jumped ship in Fremantle. Even more unexpected, it was to start a new life with one of the single female passengers leaving the ship. While this alone was a shock to those left on board, the most bewildering part was the people concerned. They were the most unlikely of candidates.

Frederick Haslinger and Isabel Simms had been friendly on board, but their association hadn't seemed out of the ordinary. Quite the contrary! As with everyone sharing a confined space, Freddie and Isabel had been forced to spend a lot of time in each other's company. But their feelings were not in the slightest obvious, so it came as a complete shock that they'd been carrying on a romance right under everyone's noses. For just how long this had been going on, no one had a clue, although there was plenty of speculation.

Freddie was best described as shy and withdrawn. For the most part he only spoke when spoken to, so largely went unnoticed. This wasn't helped by his indistinguishable appearance. He had a beard that covered most of his round face, he was a little overweight, and he didn't carry himself with confidence. The only thing that made him noticeable, apart from doing his job as ship's steward well, was his willingness to do anything for anybody.

Isabel had always been reminded by her father that it was a sin to wish she'd been blessed with good looks. He repeatedly told her that she didn't need to be attractive to serve God. So it suited her not to be noticed.

One afternoon, out of boredom, the women began styling each other's hair and discussing fashion. Isabel, who was disinterested, stuck her nose in a book.

“Your hair would look nice swept up, Isabel,” Suzie decided as she studied her thoughtfully.

“You are right,” Lara said, analyzing Isabel's profile. Isabel's hair was shoulder length, dead straight, and a non-descript brown, but it had a nice silky texture. “Have you ever worn it up?”

Isabel shook her head and hoped the attention would turn elsewhere, but she was not so lucky. Lara swept her hair upwards in two handfuls and admired her neck and profile. “Doesn't that make a difference?” she said to the women, who mumbled in agreement. Isabel's features were lifted and she looked almost regal.

The women spent the afternoon demonstrating hair styles that would make Isabel more attractive, and Lara gave her tips on what colors she should wear that would make the most of her good points. They thought they were limited to her warm, brown eyes and porcelain skin, but with her hair swept up, her lovely neck shape and pleasing jaw shape were accentuated.

One evening, Suzie ‘acquired' a bottle of Royal Navy rum from Sid and the women opened it in their cabin. They persuaded Isabel to have a glass, which she drank too quickly. She then surprised them by insisting she have another. After sculling the second glass of rum, Isabel transformed into a virtual chatterbox and the women learned more about her on that evening than the whole trip.

Apparently, Isabel had been born in Perth and taken to England as a child, so she was technically an Aussie. She chattered about her childhood and the tragic death of her mother in her teenage years, then in a moment of uncharacteristic vulnerability, she blurted out that she'd never had a boyfriend, even though she was twenty-nine years old.

“What? Never?” Lara gasped in disbelief.

Isabel shook her head.

“Well, I'm sure that's not as unusual as it sounds,” Lara stammered. “Someone special will come along when he's least expected.”

“That's right,” Suzie agreed. None suspecting ‘Mr. Right' was on the ship.

Isabel's father was a Presbyterian minister and he'd apparently kept a close eye on her since her mother's death, stifling her and forcing her to work for the church. This trip to see an aunt in Australia was her first holiday alone and her chance to escape. She intended to make the most of it, she claimed, although she didn't elaborate. She was possibly as surprised as anyone to find a potential husband aboard ship.

In retrospect, there'd been subtle clues. In card games, Isabel and Frederick had often partnered each other. On the evenings when they weren't playing cards, Isabel would disappear, supposedly to read on her bunk, and yet looking back, she'd never finished a book. Although at the time it aroused no interest, Freddie would also be missing. Early in the voyage, Sid had mentioned that Freddie liked to spend time alone, writing to family back home in Austria, so it was assumed that's where he was most evenings. Because of who they were, and their characters, no one connected the coincidences.

The female passengers hadn't doubted Isabel's story about being a twenty-nine-year-old virgin; it was perfectly plausible given her character, but that made it all the more remarkable that she'd conduct a clandestine love affair with a crewman who apparently never spoke of past lovers, something highly unusual amongst seamen. Freddie had sailed with Captain Callahan for twelve years, so no one suspected that he'd jump ship and they immediately began a search for him when he failed to return to the ship after a few hours of shore leave.

An hour after the search began, the truth came to light, when a message was delivered to the captain from Freddie. He confessed to falling in love and having made an impulsive decision to marry Miss Isabel Simms and stay in Australia. He apologized profusely, so it was clear he felt awful for letting the captain down.

Sid suggested it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for a crewman to jump ship on the spur of the moment, and that sadly they nearly always returned to a life at sea after finding out they could not settle in the life of a landlubber. But he wished Isabel and Frederick well for the future, and so did Captain Callahan, despite being unhappily a crewman short.

Sid's prediction had Lara worried that Frederick might abandon Isabel. She was sure such an occurrence would destroy her fragile sense of self-worth.

Sid claimed the ship was changing its run. “We've got a contract to transport rice between Saigon, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and New Guinea for the next few months,” he said to Lara and the remaining four passengers, a middle-aged couple who were joining their son and his family in Palmerston, and two brothers in their forties who'd inherited a cattle station in the Kimberly region.

“Darwin is a likely place to pick up a crewman who speaks Chinese or Vietnamese,” Captain Callaghan added.

Suzie Wilks was one of the passengers to alight in Fremantle. Lara knew she'd miss her company, as they'd become good friends. She was met by her ecstatic husband on the docks with Lara witnessing their warm reunion from the ship's railing.

“Are you looking forward to the prospect of getting off the ship soon, Lara?” Sid asked as he joined her at the railing.

“I am,” Lara said less than enthusiastically as she gazed at the distant land. “But, to be honest, I'm slightly terrified of what lies ahead.”

“You've got nothing to worry about,” Sid said with a mischievous twinkle. “Wait till the Aussie blokes get an eye full of you. They'll be falling over themselves to help you out any way they can.”

Lara was used to Sid's harmless flirting, so she laughed. “My students will be far more of a challenge than any man,” she admitted. “Have you spent much time in Darwin?” She was curious to know more about the city that was to be her home for two years.

“I can name every pub in the city.”

“Why doesn't that surprise me?” Lara smiled.

“Well, we were stuck in port for a month once when the ship suffered engine failure off this coast. We had to be towed to the wharf and couldn't sail again until parts came up from Perth. As it was monsoon season, it took awhile. So what's a man to do, but drink?”

“What were your impressions?”

“The beer's really good,” Sid grinned.

“You know very well that I meant your impressions of the people and the place...”

“There's a real cultural mix of people in Darwin, but they're all relaxed and friendly. Best of all, they don't mind shouting a round or two.” He laughed again. “The scenery is beautiful and by that I mean the two-legged variety as well as the landscape.”

Lara shook her head.

“Seriously, I really like Darwin,” Sid said, licking his lips. “I can almost taste my first coldie ashore.”

“You are incorrigible,” Lara said. But she was delighted that everyone was going to be friendly. It made her a little less anxious about what lay ahead.

“Darwin Harbor is a large indented embayment, with three main arms, East, Middle, and West. Two major rivers flow into the harbor,” Sid added earnestly. “The Elizabeth River and the Darwin River. With all the rain in the wet season there are plenty of creeks, rivers, and wetlands, which are great for fishing and bird life. Believe it or not, I actually got out of the pub a few times to fish when there was a break in the weather.”

“I'm surprised you noticed,” Lara said smirking. She really liked Sid. He was like a naughty boy in a middle-aged man's body, but he was fun.

“Actually, I didn't, until I found myself alone in the bar and thought it was something I'd said,” Sid smirked and lines around his blue eyes crinkled. “It rains a lot in England so I don't think the wet season is going to come as a big surprise,” she said.

Sid laughed at how naive she was. “Believe me, you haven't seen rain yet. The month we were stuck in Darwin nearly forty inches fell. I believe there's only ever been more rain in a month once before and that was during a cyclone. Fortunately, the pub roof didn't leak, well not that I noticed, anyway.” He chuckled.

“Yer not afraid of lightning, are ya?”

“Not normally. Why? Is it something out of the ordinary in Darwin?” Lara asked worriedly.

“It's spectacular during the lead up to the ‘wet'. It literally lights up the landscape, but it can be terrifying if yer not used to it.”

Lara tried to appear unperturbed, but it was difficult.

“Just don't take shelter under a tree during a storm,” Sid advised.

“Okay,” Lara said, looking either side of Darwin city.

“There appears to be a lot of vegetation along the shore line,” she commented. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was in the fading light.

“Mangroves,” Sid explained. “There are plenty of mangroves in this part of the world. They're a breeding ground for fish, so they're necessary, but they're also a breeding ground for mozzies.”

“Mozzies?”

“Mosquitoes. Millions of them. They come out at dusk and they're as big as black birds, so be warned.”

Lara was alarmed.

“Behind the mangroves are beautiful savannah woodlands and patches of monsoon rainforest.” All this information was new for Lara, who realized quite ashamed that she didn't know half as much about the tropics than she knew about Egypt.

“I was expecting to see white sandy beaches,” Lara said, worried she'd been lied to. The vision she'd had in her mind of a tranquil paradise with gently swaying palm trees was being replaced by torrential rain, bolts of lightning, and mosquito-infected mangroves.

“The tides are extreme up here, sometimes eight meters. When it's out, rock is exposed and parts of reefs, and sometimes mud flats that can be smelly. But there are nice beaches, too. You're lucky you've arrived at the right time of year. It's going into winter.”