Seymour Brian

ROBERT SEYMOUR RETURNS FROM THE WAR

Robert (Bob) Seymour, Brian’s father, was a corporal with the Victorian Scottish 5th Battalion when war broke out in 1939. He was soon drafted into the army full time and sent to Hamilton as a recruiting officer for that area of the Western District.

As the Japanese advance extended southwards Bob, although he was almost 40, was posted with his infantry regiment to New Guinea where they had to live and fight in terrible conditions in the jungle. Bob saw action at Wewak and Finschhafen where he was badly wounded. With a shattered right leg, Bob suffered a long and painful stretcher-borne journey out of the jungle and a slow trip back to Heidleberg Repatriation Hospital where he spent almost a year recovering from his injuries and the rest of his life with a stiff leg, pinned through the knee with large stainless steel screws. This injury certainly did not restrict his mobility too much and he was able to cover ground very quickly when required, swinging his “gammy” leg, much to the amazement of many people.

SENT TO ROWVILLE

Bob was still in hospital when the war ended but after his release towards the end of 1945 he was still not fit enough to take on a normal job. Thus he was not unhappy to be sent to Rowville to become the second-in-command at the POW Camp where he was mainly engaged in administrative duties.

Meanwhile Brian had grown up in East Malvern in a world devoid of men. As well as his father, his uncles and older cousins were all at the war. All the teachers at his school were women and Brian recalls if he saw a man in the street he’d think to himself, “What’s he doing here?” It was no wonder, therefore, that Brian was anxious to re establish his bonds with his father and he jumped at the chance of spending time with him at Rowville.

On Saturday mornings he’d ride his bike to Caulfield or Carnegie Railway Station to catch the train to Dandenong. On the first occasion, his dad was there to meet him in the camp truck but on subsequent visits he had to ride his bike out along Stud Road to the camp. He remembered the produce stalls outside the farmhouses in Stud Road in what is now the built up area of Dandenong.
Brian usually stayed overnight at the camp and slept on a stretcher in his father’s room.

A LOW SECURITY CAMP

The camp itself was heavily treed with a long road stretching out from and circling back to the main gate. There were no tents but a large number of huts, all with concrete floors. Captain Waterston, the Commanding Officer, told Brian’s father that he intended buying the camp when it was eventually decommissioned and using it as a pig farm because all of the concrete slabs would make excellent bases for the sties.

Brian remembers Captain Waterston as a big, red-faced man who slurred his words when he spoke. Brian only saw him when he (Brian) was at the camp on weekdays during the school holidays; he never saw him at the weekends. However, his own father only had leave occasionally while he was based at Rowville. Brian was not aware of the incident at the camp when Captain Waterston shot one of the internees. His father had never spoken of it to him.
The perimeter fences were no more than you would find around a cow paddock – they certainly weren’t built to keep anyone in. And there were no guards at the entrance so anyone could walk in or out whenever they liked. Of course, the war was over and the only reason why the Italians were still there was because of the worldwide shortage of ships that resulted in their long wait for repatriation.
Brian often went for walks along the Rowville roads with his new friends who were always dressed in army clothing that had been dyed a burgundy colour to identify them as POWs but they never had to seek anyone’s permission before leaving the camp. When they reached a certain point they’d say, “this is where we turn around”, and they’d then head back to the camp.

Another popular form of exercise was soccer and Brian was always invited to join them in their games when he visited the camp.
“A LOT OF GOOD GUYS”

Bob got on well with the prisoners and was quite happy for Brian to mingle with them. For their part the prisoners were delighted to spend time with Brian. They all had that strong Italian love of the family and Brian recalls being treated “like a hero”. One young man whose name was Pomponi became a very good mate and took Brian under his wing, interpreting the Italian conversations going on around him so he would not feel left out. Pomponi had two young children back in Italy and he missed them very much.

Brian remembers the inmates as being fit and healthy young men. Those that he came to know had been farmers or craftsmen before being “press ganged” into the Italian Army and sent to fight in North Africa. Some of them had been captured before they’d had a chance to fire a shot and were happy to have survived the war and be living in Australia. Bob told Brian that he was sure that some of the POWs would abscond rather than be returned to Italy.
Brian often ate with them in the mess hut and enjoyed the typical Italian pasta meals that the prisoners themselves cooked. Many of them were sent out each day to work in market gardens and they’d come back with fresh vegetables that had been given to them by the farmers, so they were able to enjoy a healthy diet. One day Brian had the thrill of going out in the back of the camp truck with one of the work gangs that had been assigned to harvest asparagus.
There was a canteen in the camp where internees could buy a variety of goods using their allowance of special internment camp coins. Brian’s Italian friends could buy a number of things that weren’t available in the normal shops in those days including that wonderful luxury, chocolate. Brian was delighted when they shared this treat with him. Other examples of their generosity to Brian and his father are still in the possession of the family and include numerous document and jewellery boxes with hidden openings, as well as several ships in bottles. All were made from materials found in the camp but are beautifully crafted. They made their own musical instruments too and, of course, being Italian, they loved to sing which they would do quite spontaneously without any embarrassment.
Another form of entertainment were the movies that were shown on occasional Saturday nights. Brian remembers sitting in the crowded hut and feeling sorry for those who didn’t understand English well enough to be able to really enjoy the movie. There was only one projector so there were several breaks in the show while the operator changed reels.

Brian looks back on those days as being a very happy time in his life. One of the lasting impressions his experiences at the Rowville camp had on him was that he has always, since then, considered Italians to be very nice people.