Wed 16 Dec · 12:30pm
The Commissariat Store Museum · Brisbane City
the man who mapped the railway, telling how he found it
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Speaker Bio & Abstract:
In 1994, Rod Beattie was approached by an Australian former prisoner of war to clear the pathway into Hellfire Pass (HFP) prior to a visit to HFP by the then Australian Minister Paul Keating. Soon after he offered his services to the Australian Thai Chamber of Commerce to voluntarily maintain the short (400 metres) pathway into Hellfire Pass. he supervised the construction of a second concrete pathway leading to the northern end of HFP.
Having become involved with HFP he set out to learn more about the history of the railway. To better understand the railway he then started to explore and map the abandoned railway and locate former PoW campsites. Locating and mapping the railway alone took four and a half years. Locating the sites of the many war time camps and other important areas took many more years. His wife, Thuy, assisted him in these endeavours.
In 1995 he was appointed manager of the Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Thailand, working part time. In this position he met many people searching for information about relatives who worked or died on the railway. To help these people he began a worldwide search for original PoW records of deaths on the railway.
The next year he was appointed Project Manager to oversee the construction of the HFP Memorial Interpretative Centre and permanent improvements to the walking trail. During this time they cleared another four kilometers of railway northwards from Compressor Cutting. John Howard opened the memorial…
Getting there
The Commissariat Store Museum, Brisbane City
Directions ↗Quick answers
When is WLL: Australians on the Thai-Burma Railway?
Wed 16 Dec 2026, 12:30pm.
Where is it?
The Commissariat Store Museum, Brisbane City, QLD.
How much is it?
It is free.
Where do I find out more?
On eventbrite.com.au. The button at the top of this page goes straight there.
How do I find out which of my mates are keen?
Tap "Ask your mates if they're keen" on this page. You get one link for the group chat, and your mates answer keen, maybe or can't in their browser, with no app and no sign-up. It is free.
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