Brian Higginbotham
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Today we remember Brian Higginbotham, who served with the North Australia Observation Unit, where their job was to keep surveillance of where Japanese infiltration may occur. It is here that Brian received help from the local Indigenous Australians.
Brian Higginbotham audio file (MP4 23.88 MB)
Brian Higginbotham audio script
75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War
Audio actuality
“Fellow Citizens, the War is over” — (The Hon J B Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia)
On the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, Australia remembers Brian Higginbotham, who served with the little-known North Australia Observer Unit.
Otherwise known as the Nackeroos, their job was to keep surveillance across the North of Australia where Japanese infiltration may occur — especially the Top End.
And that’s where Brian and the Nackeroos received some unexpected, but vital, help.
Brian Higginbotham
Without the Australian Aborigines, our unit would have not lived. When the wet season was on, nothing got out there. Mate of mine, he was saved by a man called Joshua, a Roper River Aborigine. Dysentry. Got leaves, boiled them up and made him drink it. They got nicki-nicki, which is plugged tobacco. They got some food from the Army, but they did live mostly off the land themselves.
The unit had to cross rivers where there was a lot of crocs. The Aborigine guys just told them not to cross there, they could see the bubbles, but the average man would not see them. Some horses were taken, but no man was ever taken or even attacked.
Saturday, August 15 marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War. Let’s pay our respects to that amazing generation of Australians.