Interview with Tony Polverino (When the war came to Australia)

Mr Tony Polverino was a school boy and member of the Boy Scouts during the war. He worked as a bicycle messenger with the National Emergency Services (NES). Mr Polverino talks about carrying messages during blackouts and trial exercises with the NES. He comments on the patriotic spirit of his district. He discusses his experiences as an Australian of Italian descent. His cousins came to Australia just prior to the outbreak of war and were subsequently interned. During the earlier days of the war, two of his relatives had bricks thrown through their shop windows. Mr Polverino explains that while he was questioned about his allegiances, people were generally sympathetic. He then mentions training as a scout leader when he was thirteen. He discusses food rationing and his family's contribution to the war effort - his grandparents worked at Mort's Dock and his brothers worked at Mascot Aerodrome and Garden Island. Mr Polverino gives the traditional Boy Scout salute and recites the scout promise.