EAST TIMOR -
COMPANION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
The Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission announces that it will nominate the nation of Timor-Leste for the award of Companion of the Order of Australia (Honorary) in recognition of the unique contribution of the Timorese people to Australian soldiers during World War II.
Sister Susan Connelly from the Mary MacKillop Mission says that the Australian veterans who fought on Timor in World War II remember the Timorese people with deep gratitude and that for the last seventy years they have told and retold the stories of the courage and compassion of the Timorese. They have said, "We owe our lives to them." One by one the veterans are dying, and there are few left.
The Mary MacKillop Mission regrets that there has been no adequate official recognition of the role of the Timorese in assisting Australia in World War II. "No Australian soldier was taken prisoner in East Timor, unlike those of us in West Timor," says Tom Uren, the highly respected Labor politician and humanitarian. "The loyalty and care given to Australians by the Timorese is unique in the annals of war. The nation of Timor-Leste certainly deserves our tribute."
"This omission must be amended because at the very least, 40,000 Timorese civilians were killed as a result of their assistance to Australia," says Sister Susan. "We must not forget what they did for us. No other nation has lost so many citizens as a result of helping Australian soldiers. We will nominate Timor-Leste for Australia's highest honour as a symbolic way of giving the nation the recognition it deserves. The practical measures many Australians are taking to assist the Timorese to overcome the effects of their recent history must be accompanied by a clear statement of our World War II debt to them."
A petition to the House of Representatives to support the nomination of Timor-Leste as an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia is being launched today and will be presented to Parliament towards the end of the year. The immediate delight voiced by Australians who know about the nomination matches the pleasure and support expressed by members of the Timor-Leste Government at the prospect of this long overdue recognition.
Sister Susan Connelly RSJ
Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission
PO Box 299 St Marys NSW 1790
(20 Mamre Road)
Ph. 02 9623 2847
Fx. 02 9623 1573
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http://www.mmiets.org.au