Rohan Rivett (1917–1977)

In 1942, Rohan Rivett was a news editor & war correspondent working at the Malayan Broadcasting Corporation . When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese he was among the last to be evacuated. Unfortunately the ship he was on was sunk near Banka Island and, as part of a small group, decided to trek across the island and hopefully escape. After a difficult 7 day trek they ended up virtually where they began and after acquiring a canoe spent the next 14 days travelling by sea towards Java, show more arriving at Sunda Strait shortly after the battle which sank the "Perth" and "Houston". They were then captured by the Japanese and were transported as POWs to work on the Thai-Burma Railway until August 1945. He relates 4 years of cruel, sadistic treatment by his captors and honours the amazing resilience of the POWs and local indigenous. show less

Australian War Classics