dare memorial

A few weeks ago I had a visit from a chiropractor friend from Australia.  He and his sister were traveling through Timor and he happened to see my previous blog post about missing my chiropractor.  

The miracles of technology are amazing, I tell you.  After our first breakfast meeting, we decided to head about 5km south of Dili to the Dare Memorial.  The Memorial is private and dedicated to the people of East Timor, built by Australian Forces that fought in Timor during WWII.

During the war, “Sparrow Force”, 2/2nd and later 2/4th Independent Companies conducted guerrilla warfare against advancing Japanese forces across Timor.  The success of the guerrillas in East Timor was only made possible by the support they received from the local Timorese. In 1969 the 2/2nd Commando Association established a memorial at Dare to help the people and show them that the diggers had not forgotten their help.

A spectacular view of Atauro Island across the Wetar Straight, and Dili at a distance.

The memorial was refurbished in 2008, thanks to Australia's Department of Veterans Affairs, to honor the veterans and their helpers. Additional school facilities were erected on the site using local/NGO funding to help the people of East Timor.