The picture shows the descendants of the parties to the incident visiting the monument. On November 15, 1938, the Australian freighter "Dalfram" docked at Pier 4 of The Port of Cambra to prepare to ship 8,000 tons of pig iron to Singapore. When 180 dock workers learned that the pig iron would be shipped to the Kobe Iron and Steel Works in Japan for the manufacture of bullets and bombs and sent to the battlefield of the invasion of China, they voted to refuse to load it, which turned into an unprecedented labor conflict, the Dalfram Incident. Photo by Tao Shelan, a reporter of China News Service
Sydney, November 15 (China News Service) -- The unveiling ceremony of The Triumph Monument, commemorating the 80-year-old Darfur incident, was held in Port Kembra, Wollongong, on the 15th. This is the first "Victory Monument" in New South Wales, Australia, with the theme of "Wartime Friendship between the Australian and Chinese People".
On November 15, 1938, the Australian freighter "Dalfram" docked at Pier 4 of The Port of Cambra to prepare to ship 8,000 tons of pig iron to Singapore. When 180 dock workers learned that the pig iron would be shipped to the Kobe Iron and Steel Works in Japan for the manufacture of bullets and bombs and sent to the battlefield of the invasion of China, they voted to refuse to load it, which turned into an unprecedented labor conflict, the Dalfram Incident.
The monument was designed by Zu Tianli, a Chinese artist in Macao. In an interview with a reporter from The China News Agency at the scene, she said that when designing the monument, she considered that the freighter was transporting pig iron, so it used steel materials, and the shape of a exploded mine represented the destruction of war and violence. Among them, the ladder and friendship knot symbolize "peace, friendship" and Sino-Australian friendship. "Unlike other monuments, I want to show the public's desire for peace and their contributions and sacrifices for peace," she said. Peace is a worldwide affair for everyone. ”
In 1937, Japan launched an all-out war of aggression against China. The decision of the port dockers at the port of Cambra to refuse to load pig iron destined for Japan for the cargo ship Dalfram violated the 300,000 tons of pig iron supply agreement signed between the federal government of Lyance and Japan at the time, and the federal government ordered that the loading of the Dalfram continue. The dockworkers refused to carry out the order, which turned into an unprecedented labor conflict, the Darfur Incident.
The Darfur incident, which lasted 72 days, led to the closure of the BHP Billiton steel plant and the loss of thousands of steelworkers. On 21 January 1939, the strike was resolved and the port terminal of Cambra completed the loading of the 8,000 tons of pig iron on the Dalfram "amid the protests", while stating that it would never ship pig iron again for Japan. On the 24th, representatives of the federal government officially notified Jim Healy, the national secretary of the Australian Dockers' Federation, that the federal government would no longer export pig iron to Japan. The Dalfram was torpedoed and sunk in the Pacific Ocean in 1943.
In his speech, Wang Fanfu, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney, said that the just deeds of the Australian workers are not only valuable support for the anti-fascist war in China and even the world, but also reflect the deep friendship of the Australian people for the Chinese people. War brings pain, and peace is worth cherishing and maintaining. The development of both China and Australia is inseparable from a peaceful and stable international environment. Promoting the healthy and stable development of China-Australia relations conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and is conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world. China is willing to work with the Australian side to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, promote the continuous development of China-Australia relations and make positive contributions to world peace and development.
The unveiling ceremony was organised by the Wollongong City Council, the Port of Cambra Port Company, the Australian Maritime Federation, the South Coast Trade Union and others. Some of the descendants of the parties also attended the unveiling ceremony. Paine, 90, who drove 40 kilometers to the scene, told the China News Service reporter that he was only 10 years old, lived near the port, heard that the workers were on strike, so he and his friends climbed on the freighter to help the workers unload the goods. He said: "This monument evokes my memory. I want people to remember that history. (End)