VALE LES PENHALL

A survivor of  the  February 19 , l942 Japanese attack on Darwin, Les Penhall, died at the weekend . Doug Lockwood’s book, Australia’s Pearl Harbour, mentions that on the morning of the attack , Penhall,18, made a date with Iris Bald , from the post office , to attend The Star theatre that night . Iris and other members of her family were killed when the post office was bombed . Les made his way to Alice Springs on a truck with police where he helped compile a list of crewmen off sunken ships. After the war,  he joined Aboriginal Affairs and while stationed at Alice Springs he went on  the last police camel patrol to investigate a murder. In Darwin, he had dealings with the editor of the NT News , Jim Bowditch, and had  the dubious pleasure of driving the Liquor Vicar home to the Anglican Church from the Darwin Club . His car carried  the numberplate 1941, the year he first came to Darwin from Adelaide. His knowledge of Aboriginal affairs was extraordinary and he was called  to give evidence in a Stolen Generation case in Darwin .