Mary Lee (née Cubillo)

Mary Cubillo was born in Darwin in 1932 in an area known as Police Paddock. The third oldest of nine children, Mary was a member of the Larrakia people, the traditional owners of the land in Darwin and Point Cox. As the war came closer to Australia, a decision was made to evacuate women and children from Darwin. Her mother was only allowed to pack one suitcase for herself and her large family.

On 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese planes attacked Darwin Harbour. Although the women and children were evacuated, many men, including Mary’s father, John, and her uncles, stayed behind. Mary soon learned that John, who worked on the wharves, had been killed during the first air raid when MV Neptuna was hit. His body was never found.

Mary and her family were eventually sent to Adelaide, where they lived in an intern camp at Balaclava Racecourse. When they arrived they had to sleep on wool bales stuffed with straw, but they were soon given army blankets and beds. The family tried to settle in, but life in Adelaide felt strange. In Darwin, most people had dark skin; in Adelaide they were surrounded by a sea of white faces. It was also much colder than Darwin, though the Red Cross gave the children clothes to keep them warm. Worst of all, most people in Adelaide did not fully understand what had happened in Darwin because the Australian government had censored reports of the bombings.

In 1946 Mary and her family were flown along with the other evacuees to Alice Springs and trucked back to Darwin. Mary found work as a maid in a hospital ward, and eventually married a young sergeant named Herbert Lee. She and her husband had 11 children.

Activities

1. Why do you think families like Mary’s were limited to one suitcase or knapsack during the Darwin evacuation? What do you think Mary might have packed, and why?

Related objects

Evacuation knapsack