The Mount Gambier Library will host much loved Australian actress and award winning author Judy Nunn at the City Hall on Wednesday 30 October to launch her brand new novel ‘Khaki Town’.
Commencing at 7:00pm, the author event will shine a light on recent wartime history.
“Judy Nunn’s latest release is inspired by an Australian wartime story that’s been largely kept a secret for more than seven decades, until now”, Team Leader Library Programs Kristi Leamey said.
The book is set in 1942 in the time when Singapore had fallen and Darwin had been bombed. At this time Townsville became flooded with more than 70,000 Australian and American soldiers overnight and was dubbed ‘Khaki Town’.
Townsville was transformed into a transport hub for soldiers destined for combat in the South Pacific as Australia was on the brink of being invaded by the Japanese.
“The Queensland locals welcomed the Americans with open arms but it didn’t take long for tensions to rise,” Judy Nunn said.
The story tells of the racial violence that exploded when United States troops mutinied, turning their guns on their white officers. Armed Australian troops were sent in to attempt to take control of the uprise.
“Very few people know about this story as to the specifics of how many people might have been killed during this riot and what happened to the bodies – it’s all been kept quiet,” Ms Nunn said.
The fictional tale and fictional characters are set against the backdrop of real life events that have only come to light in recent years.
“With a mixture of historical facts and figures and well-drawn characters, Judy Nunn delivers a meticulously researched page turner,” Ms Leamey said.
