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6 Episodes 2001 - 2001
Episode 1
58 mins
Now a retired property developer, David Collins has never been able to remember all that happened to him as a POW, but as the date for the reunion draws closer, he begins to recall his horrific ordeal. In his first year at camp, David is badly beaten, suffering temporary blindness. Left by the side of the road, he is picked up by Japanese guards, taking a group of hapless locals to be shot.
Episode 2
57 mins
As an old man, Gordon is the victim of a stroke that paralyses him down one side. His condition reminds Gordon of the time in Changi when he refused to salute Lieutenant Aso, forcing a major confrontation. Aso places Gordon on a box in the middle of the compound and tries, with a series of increasingly violent acts, to make him salute. Gordon's mates devise a plan to save their friend and make a bit on the side at the same time.
Episode 3
57 mins
On his final day as a University Professor, Bill Dwyer is visited by a young student who looks remarkably like the girl he fell in love with before the war. He begins to reminisce with her about his missing years in Changi, telling her about the time he and his mates got their own back on the Japanese, the day the camp was visited by a General.
Episode 4
57 mins
As he practices for his impending driving test, Old Curley is thrown into a panic by an impatient driver behind him. His mind returns to Changi and the time he was caught stealing food. Thrown into 'The Hole' and left to rot in the dark for six weeks, Curley must try not to lose his mind, while his mates desperately think of a way to give him hope.
Episode 5
57 mins
On his 78th birthday, Eddie is giving himself his traditional birthday shave, when his jaw begins to ache. He finds himself thinking back to his final year in Changi, when his wisdom tooth became infected, and he unwillingly attracted the attention of the violent and malicious Captain Shindo.
Episode 6
59 mins
For Old Tom (Desmond Kelly), the prospect of the forthcoming reunion is a mixed blessing: sitting at his beloved piano, waiting for his friends to arrive, he is struck again by trepidation. He loves seeing his old mates, but hates where they take him-back to the last night of the war. Young Tom (Matthew Whittet) is terrified. The Japanese have lost the war, but refuse to acknowledge it. Lieutenant Aso calls all the POWs into the compound. He tells them Japan has won the war and in the morning all prisoners will be shot. The men are then herded back to their barracks, while the Japanese try to organise a quick and inglorious retreat. As night falls, panic erupts. The camp is filled with light as the Japanese begin burning files and other material. Some men break ranks and try to escape-many are shot. Eddie, Curley, David, Gordon, Bill and Tom stay in their barracks, watching the carnage. While the others debate whether to make a run for it or not, Tom, in a daze, walks out of the barracks coming face to face with a Japanese guard. He is saved by two British POW's but remains frozen, absolutely terrified as bullets fly around him. Having realised Tom is missing, David runs across the compound and picks up Tom, who is in total shock. As daylight comes, the remaining POWs tentatively move outside to a deserted battlefield. The Japanese have gone: the war is over and the Secret Nine have survived. At the RSL, Tom's five best mates are gathered around him at the piano, singing the songs of old. They drink to all that has gone before them and to the men they saw die. They toast their friendship and what they know will be the last reunion of The Secret Nine.