Friendships of War

Last month Darwin High School was fortunate enough to receive a visit from members of the Chiba Family, descendants of one of the submariners who perished in the I-124 Japanese submarine sinking on the 20th of January, 1942 off the coast of the Northern Territory.

By teacher Mariko Ruzsicska

Japanese visitors, Mr & Mrs Chiba visited Darwin High School Stage 2 Japanese class on 18 February.

In 1942 Japan advanced right here to Darwin. The Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-124 was torpedoed and sunk by the Australian naval ship HMAS Deloraine, just off Bathurst Island. Eighty submariners were either killed or drowned and their remains are still resting in Darwin harbour. Mr Chiba is a descendant of one of the crew members of I-124.

This is the second visit by Mr & Mrs Chiba and they expressed gratitude and appreciation for recognition of those submariners, and hoped the friendship between Australian and Japanese people grows further. Their story touched the students deeply and recognised our history as a personal experience not an event on a history book.

Mr & Mrs Chiba’s visit was valuable for the students in that it promoted peace and understanding.