Motoe Higashida met Warrant Officer Ian ‘Robbie’ Robertson at the Hotel Maiko in Kobe, Japan. He served in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force and during the Korean War. They fell in love and married, despite official prohibitions and social pressure.
In 1952, the Menzies government finally granted permissions for Japanese wives and fiancées of Australian servicemen to migrate to Australia. Motoe was one of approximately 650 Japanese war brides to settle in Australia. Ian remained in the army, serving a tour in Vietnam in 1970–71. He and Motoe raised two daughters and lived happily together until Ian’s death in 2014.
Reprodueced courtesy of Motoe Higashida
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