‘Tenko’ characters five years on

Press, 1 September 1989, Page 11

‘Tenko’ characters five years on

Five years have passed since the end of World War II and the women survivors of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in Malaysia return to Singapore for their promised reunion.

“Tenko Reunion” (tonight at 10.30 on One) is the first programme in Television New Zealand’s war series, “1939-1989 World War II — A Commemoration.” This special two-hour programme reunites all the characters from the popular series “Tenko.”

Ann Bell is back as the former camp leader, Marion Jefferson, and she is joined by Stephanie Cole as the now nearly blind Beatrice Mason. The remainder of the cast also return.

Once back in Malaysia, they discover a very different country from the one they remember.

They find the country caught in the grip of a bitter struggle for independence and unwittingly become involved in the political intrigue.

This is the culmination of the series based on the

true-life experiences of the long-forgotten heroines of World War 11.

Together again in Singapore for their reunion, the. women catch up with each other’s news and enjoy the company of old and valued friends. A lot has changed since the war, even the decor at Raffles Hotel, which served as their transit camp following their release, is unrecognisable.

The women themselves have changed too. Unexpected fates have befallen them. Their former leader, Marion Jefferson, is now a sad divorcee, and Dorothy Bennett has become a successful business woman with her own antique shop in a fashionable part of London. During the reunion, friendships are renewed and relationships are begun between some of the least likely people.