Rowville’s Italian prisoners of war (Darren Arnott)

In March 1946, the war was over. The Italian prisoners of war who had been captured several years earlier in northern Africa were interned in camps around Australia and were waiting to be returned home. One Saturday evening, the commandant of the Rowville internment camp, Captain Waterston, shot and killed a prisoner, Rodolfo Bartoli, who he claimed was attempting to escape. What initially appeared to be a straightforward case of an Australian army officer carrying out his duty, soon appeared to be something else. Allegations of assaults, reckless firing of weapons, drunkenness and stolen goods began to emerge.

Darren will be sharing his discoveries after delving into military and court archives, historical police reports, newspaper articles and personal accounts from former locals who still had memories of the Italians and the camp. He learnt of the brutal treatment of some of the internees and of a romance between the young shooting victim and the daughter of a local farmer.

Darren Arnott is a former Rowville resident and the author of No regard for the truth, shortlisted for the Victorian Community History Awards 2020.

The arrangements for you booking your place will be announced in early 2025.