Descendants of fishermen rescued when their boat was sunk by a Japanese submarine during WWII have met the family of the war-time heroes who saved their ancestors.
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Sydney-based fishing trawler Dureenbee was attacked by Japanese submarine I-175 17 nautical miles off Moruya Heads just past midnight on August 3 1942.
The crew were in the process of packing their latest catch when the Japanese opened fire.
The attack lasted 45 minutes, with multiple shells raining down on the unarmed fishing trawler.
The crew of Dureenbee released a radio distress signal and multiple emergency flares.
Three men died in the attack - Alexander Reid, Arthur Scoble and Archibald McPherson. Nine were saved.
For the first time, families of some of the rescued fishermen met the descendants of the heroes who heeded the emergency call at a memorial service at Moruya War Memorial commemorating the 80th anniversary of the fatal attack.
War's impact on families
Event organiser Moruya's Gary Traynor runs militia registry website Medals Gone Missing, seeking to reunite families with their lost heritage.
Mr Traynor used the networks he had established through Medals Gone Missing and Ancestory.com to connect with family members, and invite them to the ceremony.
"If you look around at the family here at the ceremony now, it just shows the importance of family and how this one incident can impact on generations upon generations to come," Mr Traynor said.
Karen Joynes is the great granddaughter of Dureenbee skipper Captain William Reid.
From as early as she can remember, Ms Joynes heard the story of how her pop's boat had been lost at war. Though her great grandfather survived, his brother Alexander Reid did not. She would frequently visit her widowed great aunt with her family.
"I am surprised at how emotional I am," she said. "But that is a reflection of the impact it had on our family.
"We were forever aware the impact war had on families."
She was very grateful to meet the descendants of the heroes who saved her relatives.
"It could have been an even bigger disaster," she said.
Harry McDiarmid, son of rescuer Raynor McDiarmid, was 6 years old when the attack occurred.
He remembers his mother calling the family together before his father left on the Mirrabooka rescue mission. His mother explained to he and his siblings that their father was going somewhere very dangerous and they may never see him again.
Mr McDiarmid, now 87, laid a wreath at the service with his cousin Amy White née McDiarmid, daughter of rescuer Harry McDiarmid.
Sandra Russell, the granddaughter of Arthur Scoble, who died during the attack, also laid a wreath.
When she migrated from Wales - the home of Arthur Scoble - to Australia, Ms Russell promised her grandmother she would visit Mr Scoble's grave in Moruya.
Mr Traynor hopes Moruya will continue to remember the day war came to its doorstep during WWII, and the families of all those involved in the sinking of the Dureenbee will ensure the legacy prevails.