BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam will hold an eight-day exhibition to showcase the events of 1945’s Oboe operations during the Second World War at the Waterfront Gallery in the capital on June 12-30.

The exhibition, held in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the Borneo Campaign, will allow the public to view historic photographs of the campaign, along with pictures of locals who lived through the Second World War provided by the Australian Academic, Dr Janet Marles and her team of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) historians and students.

According to the Australian High Commission’s statement yesterday, the exhibition, themed “Stories through Memories: 70 years of Friendship”, will include guided tours, as well as lectures and seminars for the invited public.

The seminars will be presented by a military historian and Senior Lecturer in Military Operations from Australian National University, Dr Garth Pratten, along with Dr Janet Marles and two representatives from UBD, Dr Maslin Hj Jukim/Jukin and Dr Frank Dhont.

Meanwhile, eight veterans from the Second World War campaign will return to Borneo from June 4 to 12 to mark the anniversary.

This will be the first time they have returned to Borneo since the war.

According to Australia’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Senator the Hon Michael Ronaldson, the veterans will travel across Borneo for nine days to honour the ones they have lost and share their stories.

“During the Anzac Centenary period, it is important to reflect on the contribution of all Australian servicemen and women past and present,” Ronaldson said in a statement.

The Brunei Times