The Pooh Corner Environmental Reserve is the only area of Camp Columbia where there are still sewerage, pipe and road infrastructure as well as building foundation. The site is split in two by the Sandy Creek.
In that same area Vic Suchocki has found the relics presented in the pictures below.
The pictures were taken by him after each investigation and after cleaning. The photos showing tags and the hinges from furniture seem to show an NEI/Indonesian flavour and may be relevant to the story. The buttons and badges are from Dutch/NEI military and there are coins from Australia, NEI and the Netherlands..
A couple of other pictures.
Below is a list of dog tags found by Vic at Pooh Corner. The dog tag belonging to a Malaysian-Chinese boat crewman named Oe Beng Kiang is the first one on the list. In 1944, Oe Beng Kiang was rescued by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Malaya after his ship was torpedoed. The submarine transported him to Fremantle, where he was detained before being taken by train to Camp Columbia. At Camp Columbia, he was interrogated by the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) as part of their intelligence-gathering efforts. Following this interrogation, which focused primarily on Japanese logistics, facilities, and manpower, he was released by the Dutch authorities. A detailed NEI report documenting his interrogation is displayed below.
Vic found Oe Beng Kiang’s dog tag across from the vehicle entry to the Brisbane Correctional Centre, the site that once served as the Camp Columbia headquarters.
Danny Sleath and Keith Stoneman have also found Dutch relics at the same spot, including a Dutch dog tag of Willy de Eerens. We tell his story here.
