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SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Tess escaped the world's first atomic bomb. Here's what she wants the world to know
Sitting in her Melbourne lounge room, Tetsuko 'Tess' McKenzie flips through faded photographs with her family. But one image has never left her mind — the blinding flash of 6 August 1945 when she witnessed the world's first nuclear bomb strike the Japanese city of Hiroshima. "I was standing on a railway platform when suddenly a strong white light flashed into my eyes," the 96-year-old told SBS News. "And I turned to my friend and asked her, 'What is that?'" "The next thing we heard was a tremendous noise, and then, in a gap between the hills, we saw white smoke rising. Gradually, it formed into a mushroom shape." Tetsuko 'Tess' McKenzie (left) looking at old photos with her granddaughter Eri Ibuki. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell McKenzie was a teenager when she witnessed the devastating moment the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It was nearly eight decades ago but memories of the event are forever etched into her mind. The 16-year-old was on the way to the city to watch a movie with a friend. By an extraordinary twist of fate, they missed their train — a narrow escape that to this day she gives thanks for. "Oh yes, if we had caught that scheduled train, we would have been right in Hiroshima when the bomb fell," she said. Nicknamed 'Little Boy', the atomic bomb caused widespread destruction and was a major factor in Japan's surrender which ended World War Two. "We had no idea what it was. Then at around midday, the radio stations announced that a bomb fell on Hiroshima," McKenzie recalled. A slightly larger plutonium bomb exploded over Nagasaki three days later, causing more destruction. The explosion marked the first use of atomic weapons in warfare and had a profound impact on the course of history. Credit: Getty An estimated 214,000 lives were lost in the two bombings by the end of 1945, with a majority of deaths occurring in Hiroshima, while thousands more died later from radiation poisoning. "After we saw the cloud, we took another train towards the city but eventually that was stopped and the authorities put us off. We had to walk a long way home, and it took many hours," McKenzie said. Her family in their hometown of Kure, east of Hiroshima, believed she had perished in the blast and were later amazed when she returned home. "From then on, I started believing in God. And even these days, I thank God when I wake up every morning and before I go to sleep each night," she said. Even so, McKenzie and her family suffered the impacts of war. Their port city was razed by allied bombs. "Kure was burned out. The allied bombs fell all night until there was nothing left. "We hid in tunnels, and a night we heard the explosions. And I was crying 'I do not want to die here, I do not want to die." From Hiroshima to Melbourne: Journey of a 'war bride' McKenzie's life took another unexpected turn at 19 when she met an Australian soldier while working for the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. "I thought to myself, 'Oh, he is good looking'. And he was very good-looking," she said with a giggle. Corporal Ray Murray McKenzie was 22, and soon after, the pair began courting. But it wasn't simple — Japanese girls had been warned to stay away from enemy soldiers. Australian soldier Ray McKenzie was stationed in Japan when he met Tetsuko. Source: Supplied / Tetsuko McKenzie "Some people did not like to see Japanese women with soldiers," McKenzie said. "But they slowly changed their minds when they learned that most Australians were very sincere and had warm hearts," she said. The couple married in 1952 and made a home in Melbourne, marking the beginning of McKenzie's life as a 'war bride' — a term used for women who married soldiers and immigrated to their partner's home country after the war. McKenzie said her husband's family made her feel welcome and helped her establish a new life in Australia, far from home. Tetsuko married Australian soldier Ray McKenzie in 1952 and moved to Melbourne. Source: Supplied / Tetsuko McKenzie But she missed her life in Japan and like many other war brides, worried she would never return. "Life was very hard at first, in this unknown place," she said. McKenzie was among more than 650 Japanese war brides who migrated to Australia after the end of World War Two. Some struggled to settle and McKenzie shared memories of a friend who was rejected by her mother-in-law. 'She suffered harsh treatment and was forced to do all the dirty work around the house," McKenzie said. Tetsuko McKenzie on her wedding day in 1952, in traditional Japanese attire. Source: Supplied / Tetsuko McKenzie McKenzie learned typing and soon started working for the Victorian health department. After decades of marriage, McKenzie lost her husband, Ray, 18 years ago. She remains close to her extended family, especially Eri Ibuki and Tahila Pynt. "When she first told us about her experience, we just couldn't believe it. And she still remembers every detail," granddaughter Ibuki said. "We are all very proud of nanna and the way she radiates happiness and peace. And we are so grateful to still have her with us today," Ibuki said. (Left to right) Eri Ibuki said she was surprised when Tetsuko McKenzie told her about witnessing the falling of the atomic bomb in 1945. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell Like many young people of Japanese descent living in Australia, Ibuki and Pynt are eager to learn about their heritage and regret that, growing up, only English was spoken at home. "I would have loved to learn Japanese and it is definitely something that I would love my kids to learn, to better connect with their culture," said great-granddaughter Pynt, 21. "I plan to visit Hiroshima next year and look forward to touring the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to learn more about the atomic bomb and the devastation that it caused. "I expect it to be heartbreaking, really, knowing that someone from my family lived through that." Tetsuko McKenzie loves to share her stories about her life in Japan with young students. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell Masafumi Takahashi from the Association of New Elderly in Melbourne, a community group that aims to prevent social isolation among senior members, often brings young students to McKenzie's cozy home. "Her stories and experiences are just so precious and unique," Takahashi said. "It helps to understand about the destruction and the loss of life." McKenzie said the 80 th anniversary of the bombing is a time to reflect not only on the lives lost, but also on the broader consequences of atomic warfare — particularly as nuclear tensions rise in some parts of the world. "We must never forget what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "Yet countries keep making weapons to destroy people. "When I heard that World War Two had ended, I was very happy, but at the same time, so many people had lost their lives. "And what was it all for?" This story has been produced in collaboration with SBS Japanese
ABC News
8 hours ago
- ABC News
This Place - Mangalagun
Yawuru Elder Dianne Appleby takes the ABC to Mangalagun on the outskirts of Broome. ABC Kimberley: Dayvis Heyne/Dunja Karagic
ABC News
8 hours ago
- ABC News
Residents propose Bondi solution for Noosa's toxic, brown Burgess Creek
A Bondi solution has been suggested to improve the health and appearance of a brown-coloured creek that separates multi-million-dollar homes on Noosa's doorstep. Burgess Creek runs 5 kilometres from heavily commercialised Noosa Junction to the otherwise idyllic beachfront, and contains signs warning against swimming and human consumption. The creek flows into the Pacific Ocean between Sunrise Beach and Castaways Beach, suburbs where the median house price is about $2 million, according to PropTrack, a property data website. Signs indicate "creek water contains treated sewage effluent", but compounding issues include fertiliser run-off, historic landfill sites, erosion, invasive flora, animal excrement and household run-off. The Queensland government has allocated $100,000 towards a Burgess Creek catchment management plan (CMP), to be developed with Noosa Shire Council before the end of 2026. "There are legacy issues and points where pollutants are entering the waterway," said Kim Rawlings, Noosa Council's director of strategy and environment. Sunrise Beach resident Matthew Hoffman purchased a property fronting the northern side of Burgess Creek in 2005 after relocating from Sydney's eastern suburbs. "It's a good spot and I wouldn't move [but] it's basically become a wasteland," Mr Hoffman said. "It's full of weed and, with all the building that's gone up behind us and towards the junction, we're getting a tonne of runoff. "The population has increased so much in this area." Mr Hoffman said concerns about the cleanliness of the creek, erosion to the banks near busy road David Low Way, and the safety of beachgoers prompted him to think of solutions. He proposed investigating deep ocean outfalls, which discharge treated effluent kilometres out to sea. Similar outfalls became operational along the Sydney coastline at Bondi, Malabar and North Head in the early 1990s, costing more than a combined $300 million at the time. A 2017 Deloitte report stated Sydney's deep ocean outfalls prevented 180,000 sick days per year and provided more than $2 billion in economic benefits since implementation. State Environment and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell — the member for Glass House on the Sunshine Coast hinterland — said long-term funding would be considered once the catchment plan was finalised. In 2021, action group Eastern Beaches Protection Association collected more than 1,500 signatures and petitioned the council to stop stormwater runoff from eroding and contaminating dunes and waterways. Now, four years later, the solution still seems years away. Noosa Boardriders president Paul Petersen said it was "an area nobody wants to go near when it rains". Utilities company Unitywater has a sewage pump station about 200 metres before Burgess Creek meets the beach. Unitywater said the pump sent 600 litres per minute back to a treatment plant further upstream, which also improved water flow and prevented stagnant water. "Sometimes it can get a little smelly, but we do our best to keep things fresh with regular maintenance and specialised odour control units," the company said. Unitywater said it was doing monthly groundwater tests in conjunction with Noosa Council and monitored its network 24/7. In June 2025, Noosa Council and landcare groups also launched a project to remove Singapore daisy weeds from the Burgess Creek catchment. Council described the poisoned vegetation as "confronting to see going from green to brown" but said it was necessary and handled with ecologically safe chemicals.
