NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 June 1942, Page 7

NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

SOLDIERS’ DISCOMFORTS

Ask a soldier in Northern Australia what he thinks of the country, and his answer will be forcible and forthright. In 99 times out of a hundred he will tell you he hates it, hates its cli-. mate, its insects, its distance from the amenities of home. Ask him what he thinks of the Japanese, and. his language becomes so luridly convincing as to be unpublishable, writes Axel Olsen, Melbourne “Argus” War Correspondent. His life has many discomforts, but while Japan threatens Australia he is willing to put up with them until the threat is removed.

The tropical climate is possibly one of the worst features of military life in Northern Australia. Officially the months from May tfi’ September are known as Winter. That, however, means nothing, and nobody ever uses the official title. It is always the “dry” as opposed to the “wet” from Septembei- to April, and no more apt description could be found for either. In the “wet” it rains in torrents; in the “dry” it never rains. Nature seems to do everything the wrong way round here. Although the average rainfall for the year is greater than that of any Australian capital there is no rain _ during the ‘dry." Temperature changes very little throughout the year, but from April to September humidity drops to 60 per cent, or less. Wattle blooms in April, cricket and swimming are Winter pastimes and football is played during the normal southern Summer. < The wet season is like a perpetual Turkish bath, the dry like the same Turkish bath without moisture. In the “dry” the main problem is dust, apart, that is, from the perennial hordes of “wogs” comprising* everything that crawls, hops, or flies. I Along the roads dust rises in thick red clouds behind every moving object. Churned up by the wheels of neavy Army transports, it covers everything, making every tree look as though it had been sprinkled with tone of cocoa.

LITTLE SERIOUS ILLNESS

Yet the dry season, with all its discomforts, is claimed io be one of the healthiest climates in Australia, and the fitness of troops, with their tough, sun-browned bodies, is ample evidence. There is little serious illness; colds are practically unknown, and, apart from skin irritations, the troops are as healthy as any m the world. , . , , Skin irritations are attributed by some doctors to grass seed, and in some areas, where water is not available in large quantities, to infrequent bathing. Other doctors contend that lack of fresh vegetables and fruit is the cause, and this deficiency is now being made up to some extent as fresh fruit and vegetables arrive more regularly. Supplies from local farms will also be ready for eating soon. Troops who arrived here during the wet season, when all was damp and green, are now seeing the country change almost overnight. Mile after mile of grass, Gl't or more tall, that .sprang up at the beginning of the “wet,” is now withering to brown straw, and for hundreds of miles there is an endless vista of gumtree saplings, interspersed occasionally with pandanus or coconut palms. But even the palms are now taking on a dustiness that is the epitome of dryness. This year the “dry” is doubly so, for there is no beer to wash thirty throats. Fortunately, in most areas there is plenty of water, and one of the great joys of the day is to have a shower. Often the shower is hot after the pipes have been standing in the sun all day, but the water is wet, and that is the important thing. Many troops are also having thenfirst experience of mosquitoes en masse, and in some outlying camps every night is made restless with constant stinging and buzzing. The only refuge is under a mosquito net, and even there a stray insect can make a lot of discomfort. It is asserted that when air raids began here mosquitoes, after dining on fighter pilots, learned new tactics and now fly in formation to attack their victims. “Heavy bombers” are large anopholes mosquitoes—malaria carriers—and “divebombers” are a smaller variety familiar in the soutn. For some months the Army has taken precautions against mosquitoes by covering any open drains, pouring oil on stagnant pools, and taking care to empty all bottles and tins that might serve as breeding places. Flies are less prevalent. Not because of Winter, for there is none, but because the Army, has also taken steps to get rid of flies. All rubbish is disposed of, and no food left uncovered which is likely to attract flies. Some years ago there were practically no I flies here, but with the outbreak of war and the. increase in population they appeared everywhere. They were particularly bad in some cafes and eating houses in a town, and were a constant menace to health. Since the evacuation of from ‘tome towns flies are seldom seen, and precautions taken by the Army should prevent their reappearance in the large numbers of pre-bombing days. t Either in the “wet” or in the “dry” life in a military camp has many discomforts —mosquitoes, heat, dust, no beer, and little entertainment. Yet. despite the disadvantages, the troops have remained as happy and as healthy as it is possible to' be in suchcircumstances.

Very few soldiers like the Northern Australia they have seen during their stay here. There is another peace-time Northern Australia that had plenty of interest and comfort, but few troops have experienced that aspect of the country. They have seen only the grimmer wartime side. They continually abuse its heat, dust and insects.

Even stories that are being brought here about changed conditions in their home towns, where there is little beer or tobacco, where tea is

rationed, where other goods are unprocurable, does not make them any more reconciled to life here. But with the threat of a Japanese attack they pul up with all the discomfort, work harder than \hey have worked before if it means that the Japanese wili be beaten back from these shores. Under the hot sun they have sweated day after _ day soeeding defence works, training hard, carrying out manoeuvres ol every description. The results are tremendously impressive, and n Japan is loolish enough to invade Northern Australia we will be waiting with a welcome of steel, shells, and bombs.