Charlie's swim by Edith Wright and Charmaine Ledden-Lewis
A wonderful impression of the effect of war on a small community, seemingly thousands of miles from the fighting is told in this wonderful true tale of one boy’s bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
Charlie lived in Roebuck Bay, Broome, and loved to fossick along the shore with his brothers, fishing, opening shells to hopefully find a pearl, and smelling the ocean. The spare words give a wonderful impression of the carefree life lived by Charlie near the sea. And the stunning illustrations fill the pages with colour, a fitting backdrop to the story, reflecting images of Aboriginal culture and detail for young readers to share.
Charlie’s job during World War Two was to clean and refuel the sea planes that landed in Broome, bringing Dutch women and children to safety from Indonesia.
But one day the air was filled with the smell of fuel as Japanese war planes bombed the town and the seaplanes. People jumped into the water from the burning planes and without hesitation Charlie jumped in too. Spying a woman and her child in difficulty, he swam towards them. He was able to let them know to climb onto his back and his strong arms swam towards the shore between bullets, burning craft and the cries of others.
The beach was chaotic. Charlie, exhausted could only watch the burning seas and the small boats attempting to help others. Charlie a humble man received a Certificate of Merit from the Royal Humane Society of Australasia, and medals recognising his bravery from the Dutch Government.
Eighty eight people died that day in Broome, a salutary reminder of how war can be closer than we imagine. Charlie’s bravery serves as a reminder to us all that ordinary people are capable of feats of heroic effort: his extraordinary effort that day in rescuing two people despite the obvious dangers to himself stands as a beacon of light in a dark time.
The image that stayed with me is that of the shadows overhead as Charlie’s idyllic existence is darkened by the Japanese war planes. Others are just as luminous, offering a different perspective to the readers, grabbing their attention by cleverly making them part of the action.
Information at the end of the book gives the historic details of the bombing and a potted biography of Charlie, the author’s uncle. And the last page gives details of the author and illustrator, both renowned in their own fields.
Children will learn about one man’s courage while absorbing the tale of Broome and what happened during World War Two, a little known event in Australia’s war history.
Themes: War, Broome, Aboriginal history, Australia history, Bravery, Bombing.
Fran Knight
