Following the WA Yarn Ups in Perth and Albany, the research team traveled to Port Hedland for a Yarn Up on 3-4 September 2015 at the Wangka Maya Aboriginal Language and Culture Centre, where we had a strong turn out largely due to Julie Walker encouraging community members to come along.

Julie Walker spoke to us about her childhood living a semi-traditional life, the stories her parents shared with her about their experiences of war time at home, and her opinions on Aboriginal service. We also spoke with Ann Sibosado about her experience growing up as the child of World War 2 veteran, Albert Lockyer, who was one of five brothers who went to war, and one of the three who returned. So too, Allen Lockyer, son of Edgar Lockyer who also survived the war, spoke to us about his memories of family’s extensive service during World War 2, and about his experiences living in Perth as a boy during that time. We also heard from George Derschow and Jan Cowan about the internment of George’s father in Fremantle in both World War 1 and World War 2 as a result of his German background, and George Pitt spoke to us about his Torres Strait Islander family’s history of service in the armed forces, including that of his brother who served in Vietnam and his father who served in World War 2. Pat Kopusar spoke to us about her life and family history, including her Uncle Arthur ‘Artie’ Harris who served in World War 2, her sister Ella Thompson’s time in the Women’s Land Army and two of her nephews who served in Malaysia and Vietnam.

The next port of call in WA was Broome.