A story of love and tragedy from HMAS Sydney II told through theatre production in Wickepin

The theatre company that performed A Fortunate Life by Albert Facey in Narrogin will return to the southern Wheatbelt to showcase its latest offering Sydney II: Lost and Found. Production company Theatre 180 and director Stuart Halusz have created a multi-media play that combines traditional theatre and cinema to tell a story of love and tragedy at the Wickepin Town Hall on March 4. It marks the 80th anniversary of the ship’s loss during World War II. HMAS Sydney II was a Leander Class light cruiser that was known for its successful battles in the Mediterranean including the battle of Cape Spada where it sunk the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleno in 1940. The play follows the story of young West Australian Allan Rowe, who was newly married to Jessie and had just learnt he was going to become a father when HMAS Sydney II set sail from Fremantle in 1941. During the return voyage from escorting a troopship to South East Asia, HMAS Sydney II encountered German Raider HSK Kormoran, which was disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel, on November 19, 1941. The Kormoran initiated a surprise attack on HMAS Sydney II and both ships went down. All 645 of the young crew members of HMAS Sydney II were lost, while 81 men from Kormoran were killed and 318 survived. After the ship was lost, Mrs Rowe and her daughter Ellen, who never met her father, waited 66 years for the wreck to be found in order to find closure for their family. The ship remained one of Australia’s greatest maritime mysteries until the wreck was discovered more than 200km off the coast of Shark Bay in WA after renewed search efforts in 2008. “With the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Sydney approaching in November 2021, it was an ideal time to produce a play on the subject,” writer Jenny Davis said. “I could see great potential in weaving together the two stories — the young newly-weds and the loss of the Sydney, the pride of the Australian fleet and the greatest Australian maritime loss in history that resulted in national grief and the parallel with the rediscovery after years of controversy over the mystery of its sinking. “It also meant a resolution after the tragedy of young love lost, an uplifting ending.” Ms Davis said the story of HMAS Sydney II is one that deeply resonates with many Australians. “HMAS Sydney II is a national icon. The story took place in WA so has special significance to us,” she said. “While Australians mourned the loss of 645 sons, the irony of survivors from the German raider ... being nursed back to health in WA hospitals was keenly felt. “The controversy and mystery that surrounded the loss of the Sydney continued at least until the dramatic discovery of its wreck, shedding light on the events and at last laying ghosts to rest. “It endures as one of the most important events for Australia in World War II and our greatest maritime loss.” HMAS Sydney II: Lost and Found will play at the Wickepin Town Hall at 6.30pm on March 4. Tickets are available at the Shire of Wickepin administration building.