Sisters of War
Encyclopedia
Sisters of War is a telemovie based on the true story of two Australian women, Lorna Whyte, an army nurse and Sister Berenice Twohill, a Catholic nun from New South Wales
who survived as prisoners of war in Papua New Guinea
during World War II
. Sisters of War was written by John Misto, produced by Andrew Wiseman and directed by Brendan Maher. It made its debut at the Brisbane International Film Festival
on 11 November, 2010. It premiered on television on 14 November, 2010 on Australian channel ABC1
.
in 1942. Kruger had deliberately written the diary with cryptic prose so as to confuse any Japanese soldier or casual reader who may have discovered it. Miller became fascinated by this work and the history that motivated it. Discovering there was little information readily available about the Rabaul nurses, he started to research the events surrounding their internment in Rabaul. Miller first met Sister Berenice Twohill and Lorna Johnston in 1997 and through them was able to meet and interview most of the surviving nurses and officers of Lark Force
. He was able to borrow and transcribe their diaries which added to the overall knowledge of what had occurred at the time. Miller and writer John Misto joined forces on the project and soon after ABC1
came on board and producer Andrew Wiseman joined the team. Wisemen has an interest in presenting history dramas for television and Sisters of War provided a natural progression from Curtin
, the World War II
telemovie he produced with Richard Keddie.
The shooting of the film began in April 2010 and ended in June 2010. It was shot in Gold Coast, Queensland
.
. Here a handful of Australian nurses, led by Matron Kay Parker took refuge along with a number of wounded Australian soldiers. Abandoned by their commanding officers, they were left to face the Japanese
alone. When the Japanese arrived at Vunapope, the nurses and their patients were saved from massacre by the mission’s leader, Polish-born Bishop Leo Scharmach. This astonishing man bluffed the Japanese into believing that he was a personal friend of Hitler and that the mission was Hitler’s property.
In the dark days that followed, Sister Berenice and Lorna found themselves facing starvation, beatings and torture. Their beliefs were constantly tested, as was their friendship. Sister Berenice idolised Bishop Scharmach: Lorna was convinced he was a collaborator. The tiny mission became a setting for betrayal, heroism and death. And all the normal rules of war were broken. After six months, Lorna and Sister Berenice were separated. The Australian nurses were sent to Yokohama
as part of a prisoner exchange. But the exchange program collapsed and the nurses found themselves trapped in war-time Japan, freezing and ravaged by disease. At the same time Sister Berenice, Bishop Scharmach and the nuns were taken to a dark, uninhabited jungle valley where they would be safe from air raids.
Source Australian Broadcasting Corporation
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
who survived as prisoners of war in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Sisters of War was written by John Misto, produced by Andrew Wiseman and directed by Brendan Maher. It made its debut at the Brisbane International Film Festival
Brisbane International Film Festival
Brisbane International Film Festival held in Brisbane provides a focus for film culture in Queensland, Australia. The festival has taken place since 1992 and focuses on films from the Asia-Pacific region. The event offers films including features, documentaries, shorts, experimental, silent films...
on 11 November, 2010. It premiered on television on 14 November, 2010 on Australian channel ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
.
Background
Sisters of War was inspired by real events and based on Rod Miller's manuscript The Lost Women of Rabaul. At the heart of those events were the stories and experiences of Lorna Johnston and Sister Berenice Twohill. In the process of clearing possessions for an estate in 1991, Miller, who is a general auctioneer, came across an old diary. He was about to throw it out when he became intrigued by the contents of the modest book. On closer inspection he saw that it was written in cryptic prose and rhyme. The diary was written by Grace Kruger, one of four civilian nurses captured by the Japanese in RabaulRabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
in 1942. Kruger had deliberately written the diary with cryptic prose so as to confuse any Japanese soldier or casual reader who may have discovered it. Miller became fascinated by this work and the history that motivated it. Discovering there was little information readily available about the Rabaul nurses, he started to research the events surrounding their internment in Rabaul. Miller first met Sister Berenice Twohill and Lorna Johnston in 1997 and through them was able to meet and interview most of the surviving nurses and officers of Lark Force
Lark Force
Lark Force was an Australian army unit formed in March 1941 during World War II for service in New Britain and New Ireland. Raised in Australia and deployed to Rabaul and Kavieng, aboard SS Katoomba, MV Neptuna and HMAT Zealandia, to defend their strategically important harbours and airfields.The...
. He was able to borrow and transcribe their diaries which added to the overall knowledge of what had occurred at the time. Miller and writer John Misto joined forces on the project and soon after ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
came on board and producer Andrew Wiseman joined the team. Wisemen has an interest in presenting history dramas for television and Sisters of War provided a natural progression from Curtin
Curtin (2007 film)
Curtin is a telemovie about the wartime Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin.-Plot:The film covers the period from just before Curtin became Prime Minister until the return of the 6th and 7th Divisions to Australia at the start of the Pacific war....
, the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
telemovie he produced with Richard Keddie.
The shooting of the film began in April 2010 and ended in June 2010. It was shot in Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
.
Plot
In January 1942, the Japanese war machine thundered across South East Asia. In its path lay a tiny Catholic mission station Vunapope, on the island of New BritainNew Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
. Here a handful of Australian nurses, led by Matron Kay Parker took refuge along with a number of wounded Australian soldiers. Abandoned by their commanding officers, they were left to face the Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
alone. When the Japanese arrived at Vunapope, the nurses and their patients were saved from massacre by the mission’s leader, Polish-born Bishop Leo Scharmach. This astonishing man bluffed the Japanese into believing that he was a personal friend of Hitler and that the mission was Hitler’s property.
In the dark days that followed, Sister Berenice and Lorna found themselves facing starvation, beatings and torture. Their beliefs were constantly tested, as was their friendship. Sister Berenice idolised Bishop Scharmach: Lorna was convinced he was a collaborator. The tiny mission became a setting for betrayal, heroism and death. And all the normal rules of war were broken. After six months, Lorna and Sister Berenice were separated. The Australian nurses were sent to Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
as part of a prisoner exchange. But the exchange program collapsed and the nurses found themselves trapped in war-time Japan, freezing and ravaged by disease. At the same time Sister Berenice, Bishop Scharmach and the nuns were taken to a dark, uninhabited jungle valley where they would be safe from air raids.
Cast
- Claire van der BoomClaire van der BoomClaire van der Boom is a Logie Award winning Australian film and television actress of Dutch ancestry. Internationally, she is best known for her appearance as Stella in the third episode of the HBO miniseries The Pacific, and her recurring role playing the ex-wife of Det...
as Sister Berenice Twohill. Born in Murwillumbah, most of her early life was spent at Tumbulgum on the Tweed River. She was the eighth of 11 children with eight brothers and two sisters. Sister Berenice joined the missionary order of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 1934.
- Sarah SnookSarah SnookSarah Snook is an stage, television, and film actress from Adelaide, South Australia. She has striking red hair and is said to resemble another Australian actress, Cate Blanchett.- Childhood and education :...
as Lorna Whyte. Born in Hay, New South WalesHay, New South WalesHay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
, Whyte was the youngest of eight children. She attended the Hay War Memorial School before training as a nurse at the Corowa Hospital. Joining the army in 1941, she was selected as one of the Australian Army Nursing Service nurses to be part of Lark ForceLark ForceLark Force was an Australian army unit formed in March 1941 during World War II for service in New Britain and New Ireland. Raised in Australia and deployed to Rabaul and Kavieng, aboard SS Katoomba, MV Neptuna and HMAT Zealandia, to defend their strategically important harbours and airfields.The...
, arriving in RabaulRabaulRabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
on 25 April, 1941.
- Susie PorterSusie PorterSusie Porter is a multiple award winning Australian television and film actress.-Television:Susie Porter began her acting career in one episode of House Gang, a short lived television program. She then had small roles in other Australian television programs in the late 1990s, including Big Sky,...
as Kay Parker. Parker was the much-admired matron of the military nurses who were evacuated to the mission at Vunapope when the Japanese invaded Rabaul on January 23, 1942. She showed extraordinary leadership, often standing up to the Japanese to protect the Rabaul women under her care.
- Gerald LepkowskiGerald LepkowskiGerald Lepkowski is a television and stage actor, who has had guest roles in both Australia, Scotland and England, before landing the lead role in Dirt Game in Australia in 2009.- Early life :...
as Bishop Leo Scharmach. Polish-born, Bishop Leo Scharmach was the charismatic leader of the Catholic Mission at Vunapope, the head-quarters of the Sacred Heart Mission which covered New BritainNew BritainNew Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, New Ireland and ManusManus ProvinceManus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea with a land area of 2,100 km², but with more than 220,000 km² of water. The capital of the province is Lorengau and the total population is 43,387 ....
. In 57 main stations, 60 priests looked after the needs of 60,000 Catholics. Vunapope was the centre of this extensive mission and the Bishop took up residence there in 1939.
- Paulini Curuenavuli as Sister Marie.
- Khan ChittendenKhan Chittenden-Career:Chittenden was born in New Zealand and moved at age 11 to Perth, Western Australia. He graduated from WAAPA and landed his first major part as Dean "The Edge" Edgely in the television series Blue Water High. Khan shot numerous commercials and has done much voiceover work for W.A...
as Len. - Anna VolskaAnna VolskaAnna Volska is an Australian television actress. She arrived in Australia when she was young and has acted from a young age.-Television work:...
as Sister Cordula.
Source Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...