Page 21 of Sisters Under The Rising Sun

‘We had trouble staying together in the water. We kept waving at each other, to stay in each other’s sight-line. The current finally pushed me into a mangrove swamp. I clung to a fallen tree and eventually Betty saw me and made her way over. We were both exhausted. We wrapped our arms around that dead tree and fell asleep. When we woke up, we joked about how we’re now qualified for the Aussie swimming team.’

‘Endurance swimming, not racing,’ Betty adds.

‘Yes, long distance for sure. We paddled and swam through the mangroves for hours, which is how we got so badly cut up. When the tide went out, we clung to whatever we could, waiting for it to return so we could swim again. We saw a few crocodiles, which was terrifying, but we eventually found a river and swam up it until we found some land. We made a bed out of palm leaves and tried to sleep through the night.’

Now Betty picks up the story.

‘The next day we found a village; they gave us water and food. A Chinese man who spoke good English offered to take us with him to Java. It meant getting back on a barge, and we weren’t having any of that. He then told us he had heard there were quite a few white people in Muntok who had been taken prisoner by the Japanese. Then a truck arrived and the next thing we knew, we were surrounded by Japanese soldiers. We had to get in the truck with them and here we are.’

A silence falls across the room. No one knows what to say. Eventually, Nesta breaks the spell.

‘I think you both need to rest.’

‘Does anyone know what happened to the others, to the matrons?’ Betty asks.

‘No. But you made it and you’re safe. Let’s hope they all turn up soon,’ Nesta tells them firmly.

Later, while eating their afternoon allocation of rice, Nesta takes the opportunity to talk to the nurses about bathing.

‘From now on, we don’t go alone, no matter how badly you want to have a wash. I don’t want the prying eyes of the soldiers on any of you.’

‘I was going to change the dressing on my hands later and thought I’d do that while having a wash,’ Betty says.

‘Then I’m coming with you,’ Nesta tells her.

‘Why don’t you go now while everyone is eating,’ Blanche suggests. ‘I’ll come too. Hopefully, all the soldiers are busy still handing out rice.’

Finding only one other woman at the trough, Betty strips off, while Nesta carefully unwraps her bandages. Betty bites her lip against the pain of skin tearing from her hands.

‘Looking good, Betty,’ Nesta tells her. ‘No sign of infection, but I don’t want you getting any of this water on them. Who knows what bugs are in here.’

Stepping into the trough, Betty clumsily picks up a ladle. She scoops dirty water and pours it over her shoulders, down her back.

Behind them, they hear a twig crunching underfoot. They turn to see two Japanese guards only a few feet away watching Betty bathe.

‘Get out of here! Get the hell out, you perverted bastards!’ Nesta screams, running at the men.

The guards, surprised at the anger of the tiny woman, begin to go for their rifles. But Nesta is in their faces now, and, they are forced to back up. She advances as they retreat and, eventually, they turn and run.

Betty dresses quickly and the women celebrate this tiny victory with a hug.

‘How are you so brave, Nesta?’ Betty asks her, aghast at her friend’s courage.

‘I didn’t feel brave, let me tell you,’ Nesta says, sombrely. ‘And you’d have done exactly the same thing and you know it. Up close, so many of those soldiers are just frightened little boys.’

‘Bully’s here! Bully’s here!’ the cry goes up.

Nesta’s nap is disturbed by squeals of delight. They’ve been here two weeks and she was beginning to lose hope she would ever see another nurse from theVyner Brooke.

Pandemonium erupts as the nurses gather round to hug Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, urging her to tell her story. Where has she been? Is she well? they ask.

With bare feet, her uniform grubby with dirt and oil from theVyner Brooke, Vivian staggers, and Nesta catches her.

‘Vivian, sit down. Girls, don’t crowd her. Oh, you can’t imagine how wonderful it is to see you.’ Nesta kneels on the ground by her chair, squeezing her hand. ‘Tell us everything, won’t you?’ But then Nesta catches a glimpse of Vivian’s feet. ‘Oh, my God, what happened to your feet?’

‘I don’t know, Nesta. My goodness, I didn’t think I would see any of you ever again. Who else is here?’ Vivian stammers.

A chorus of ‘me, me, me’ brings a smile to her face as she nods to each of the nurses.