Parer's War

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Crikey, Norm, you can see

everything from this lookout!

Japs' whole base!

Troop movements, shipping -

the works.

Shh.

Move out.

Shh, shh!

Come on. Let's go. Get down.

That'll have to do, Damien.

We need to ankle out of here fast.

Mind what you do with that film

you took from the lookout.

It's a vital post and we're

all dead if the Japs find it.

Yeah, too bloody right, Norm.

I won't use it

till you say it's cleared.

Sorry, Cotter.

Might write tomorrow.

Hail Mary, full of grace.

Our Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the fruit

of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Ha! 7th Division.

Oh, thank Christ for that.

Mate, Parer, DOl.

General Rowell's taking command?

Yeah, someone who knows what

he's doing for a bloody change.

Got some film here. What do you

want me to do with this?

Off as soon as you can, mate.

Department of Information's

waiting on it.

Get there a darn sight sooner

if you take it with you.

Nah, I'm not going back.

Cable they sent this morning

says you are.

Sh*t and derision.

Walked all the way home, have you?

From Libya, by the look of it.

Chester.

Hoping you'd be here by now.

What the hell am I meant to do

about that?

I don't think this will suit

General Rowell, old man.

No. No, out of the question.

We can't afford to lose you now,

Damien. Or you, Chester.

We're gonna need

your ABC broadcasts,

and your pictures, Damien.

I want this undermanned,

undersupplied cock-up

I've inherited on the record.

It's a f***in' shambles,

as you'd both appreciate.

These troops should have been here

months ago.

Indeed.

And I've got no clear idea what

the devil's going on up at Kokoda.

And no competent liaison officers

to get up there

and assess the situation for me.

You boys have covered the war

in the Middle East.

You've enough military nous

to know what you're looking at.

I wouldn't miss it for quids, sir,

but that's an order.

I'll deal with the Department.

Who's your superior?

Hawes.

Bob Hawes.

Thank you, sir.

You just get up to Kokoda

and get those pictures for us

so that bloody fool at GHQ can see

what sort of war he's got up here

and stop pushing for

a swift victory.

In this terrain?

And a lot of poor bastards will

have to get killed to provide it.

Just how much strife are we in

up at Kokoda, Chester?

I think that's what he's asking us

to tell him, old son.

Hope you brought your hiking boots.

Down here.

I can't find you.

Here.

A bit of water if you've got any.

Dig.

Struth, mate,

what are you doing off the track?

Just having a rest. Wouldn't have

any morphine, would you?

No.

All I've got's this.

Damien,

where the hell are you?

Damien!

Here. Take this.

We'll come back for you.

Thanks, cobber.

Father, forgive me.

Deus meus, ex toto corde poenitet

me omnium meorum peccatorum...

For God's sake, man!

I thought I'd lost you.

We've got to keep moving.

.. eaque detestor, quia peccando...

This is not what people

want to see, Damien.

It's sordid.

Nothing good about it.

It's what they're bloody well

gonna see, Bill.

The complacency back home -

they need kicking out of it.

Good God! Where's this?

Halfway up to Myola.

It's a bastard of a trek, Kokoda.

It's one razorback after another.

There's your out.

Hang on, Ken.

Should be a bit more here showing

how visible their uniforms are.

It's bloody hopeless.

The yellow fellas

in jungle-green camouflage...

.. and our chaps' desert gear

standing out like dog's balls.

You need to put that

in the dope sheet

so we know what we're looking at.

Might need that

for the commentary.

That's Eora Creek

when we got the order to withdraw.

Just didn't have enough damn film

to show the scale of it.

They're the wounded coming back from

the forward lines. Bloody hundreds.

All this damn panning, Damien.

How do you suppose we cut it?

I think we need the whole shot, Ken.

It's just more truthful that way.

Fair enough.

This is all out of order.

That's up at Efogi.

What are they saying?

They're telling the officer

what they're up against.

It's a new kind of warfare.

We need to see it.

Is there any action footage?

You can't get action, Ken.

They're fighting blind.

You can't even see the enemy

when he's 10ft away

and then you're dead.

That's what they're telling him.

Look, these shots,

they're all over the place.

We've gotta get these bloody reels

in order.

Perhaps we should take a break,

hey?

Let's grab half an hour,

get a bite.

I know!

And I said to him, 'Didn't you

take dance classes at school?'

And he just looked at me

like I was crazy!

Don't know what's going on

with this government.

Tobacco's getting more and more

expensive, if you can get it at all.

It's a bloody joke.

Yes, but straight out of

the field? He's stonkered, Ken.

The propaganda boys want

it out as fast as we can do it.

Well, I've got his dope sheets.

I could leave the commandos

until later

and do a rough assembly on this

over the weekend

while he's taking a break.

Alright.

Damien.

Where have you been, you scoundrel?

Forgotten how to write?

Yeah. Sorry, got a bit sidetracked.

Oh, is that what you call it?

Yeah.

Just stringing some negs

in the darkroom.

Get yourself a drink.

And something to eat.

You look like

that mangy yellow dog

who hangs around the cookhouse.

Get yourself cleaned up. There's

a shaving kit in the bathroom.

A lot of people want to catch up

with you tonight.

Marie's gonna be there.

Look out!

Damien!

I need a drink!

Billy!

Marie, over here!

Hello, Maxey.

Damien told me he'd won

a jitterbug contest in Cairo,

which sounds like absolute rot.

I've done a fiver

betting he couldn't.

Oh, well, Ronnie was there too.

Didn't he warn you?

Not a word.

Gosh, what a stinker!

Hey!

Ah...

There you are, Cotter.

Yeah, and here you are,

apparently.

Damien,

give the girl a rest!

Ronnie.

Oh!

I was wondering

what was keeping you.

Oh, you know, work, things to do,

and possibly being the last person

to find out he's back from Max.

Damien, I despair!

Serve you darn well right

if I ran off with her.

Such a rotter!

Ah, she already knows that.

Hey, Damien!

Silkie, you scallywag!

Where the devil have you been?

Come on,

Marie. Let's practise!

Well, I've got an exhibition dance

to live up to,

so I'm gonna get back

into practice.

And then Frank Hurley,

Frank decides he wants to do the

whole thing in a re-enactment...

George.

Hello, mate.

Borrow him for a tick, if I may?

What are you doing?

That's no way to treat a girl.

Especially not THE girl.

Oh, keep trying to make up my mind

for me.

No. But someone else will,

if you're not careful.

That'd settle it, then.

I know she doesn't love me.

Spare me the hairshirt, Damien.

You've been doing that for how long?

The kid is mad about you!

Always has been.

So you keep telling me.

She never has.

Of course she's not gonna put

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