Media Room: Media Releases

By Corporal Belinda Mepham, Army News

The last known Creardo alive in East Timor was a guest at the Dawn Service in Dili, East Timor on Anzac Day, April 25^th 2003.

Rufino Alves Correira is around eighty years old and his tiny, frail body is testament to years of hard work and endurance, his eyes are so friendly that when you look at him you feel moved by the mateship he offers.

As a young Timorese, Rufino was recruited by the Australian Commando’s who were in East Timor during 1942 after the Japanese had invaded the unstable island.

Rufino was attached to Lieutenant Tom Nesbitt of the 2/2^nd Australian Commando Independent Company.

His task was to carry the officer’s equipment, direct him through mountainous terrain, supply him with food, help him when he was sick or wounded and to generally help him stay alive.

A nurse found Rufino at a church in East Timor and began to translate his Tetun spoken story to English.

Rufino said they (Creado’s) knew the mountains like the back of their hands and the commando’s were fighting guerrilla warfare, with out the Creados they might not have survived.

"We would direct the soldiers to positions to trap the enemy, it worked many times, their were no Australian prisoner during this time," he said.

"Tom and myself were like brothers. Tom remained loyal to me until he was too sick and could no longer keep contact."

While I was talking with Rufino he began to move his hands around griping at machetes and demonstrating the protection he offered Lieutenant Nesbitt. He showed me how he would see tracks and point the way through corridors in the jungle terrain.

Rufino said that on one occasion he actually fought with the Australian soldiers when Japanese soldiers in the Solbada district attacked them.

This little gentleman held onto my hand and squeezed it from time to time emphasising, what I believe is his genuine friendship and feelings for Australian soldiers.

At the Anzac Dawn service Rufino gave his special two-part handshake to the soldiers who meet him. First holding their hand then curling his fingers over the top of theirs, interlocking thumbs. He only did this for the soldiers, suggesting, perhaps Lieutenant Nesbitt may have greeted him like this all those years ago.

The 2/2 Independent Commando Company and the 2/4 Commando Company totalling 500 commandos conducted Guerilla Warfare against 8000 Japanese in 1942.

Although the original force lost contact with Australia due to all of their radios being lost or destroyed by enemy actions, they continued to ambush and harass the Japanese.

After contact was re-established on April 19, 1942, these operations intensified to such a degree, that the Japanese force was later increased to 20 000.

Due to the help given by the Timorese to our troops, these Commandos were able to tie down 20,000 Japanese, who would otherwise have been used with devastating effect against our forces and Lae-Salamaua-Wau fronts during that period.

Stills of Rufino Alves Correira attending the Anzac Day Dawn Service held in Dili, East Timor this morning are available on the defence website:

Video footage will be available from the Federal Press Gallery in Canberra.