This page provides a guide to all images taken in East Timor by professional photographer Penny Tweedie in September 1975.
Each image is a contact print of one roll of original black and white negative film. The roll numbers were assigned by Penny Tweedie.
The associated text for each film roll was created by CHART as a rough guide to the imagery in each contact sheet. We will add more specific information as time permits and as you, the reader, help us identify people and places in the images.
Click on images to view the content.
FILM ROLL 01
Refugees, evacuees at Darwin harbour, August/September 1975; individuals and group portraits (unidentified).
FILM ROLL 02
Refugees, evacuees at Darwin harbour, August/September 1975; Jose Ramos-Horta and unidentified individuals and groups.
FILM ROLL 03
Refugees, evacuees at Darwin harbour, August/September 1975; individuals and group portraits (unidentified).
FILM ROLL 04
Refugees, evacuees at Darwin harbour, August/September 1975; ship-board scenes; Jose Ramos-Horta and unidentified individuals and groups.
FILM ROLL 05
Evacuees, refugees, August 1975. Mainly children. In large space with many temporary beds. Location uncertain.
Evacuees, refugees, August 1975. Mainly children. In large space with many temporary beds. Location uncertain.
FILM ROLL 06
Evacuees, refugees. August 1975. Individual and small-group portraits. Location uncertain.
Includes Joao Martires (Frame 3), Alfredo Silva (13), Jose Pires & Alfredo Silva (29).
Evacuees, refugees. August 1975. Individual and small-group portraits. Location uncertain.
FILM ROLL 07
Evacuees, refugees on Panama-registered vessel, Macdili. Unidentified individual and small group portraits. Unidentified (Australian?) naval vessels.
FILM ROLL 08
Evacuees, refugees, August 1975. Unidentified individual and small-group portraits. Location uncertain.
FILM ROLL 09
Evacuees, refugees, August 1975. Includes medical cases, scenes.
Evacuees, refugees, August 1975. Includes medical cases, scenes.
FILM ROLL 10
Scenes of destruction in Dili, September 1975. Portraits of mothers and children.
Scenes of destruction in Dili, September 1975. Portraits of mothers and children.
FILM ROLL 11
Elderly people, mothers and children. First aid medical facility in Dili? Images of Clive Scollay with movie camera.
FILM ROLL 12
Mothers and children, Dili, September 1975. At refuge or medical aid point?
Mothers and children, Dili, September 1975. At refuge or medical aid point?
FILM ROLL 13
Falintil soldiers; Xavier do Amaral; detainees? Captured indonesian soldier Corporal Weli.
Falintil soldiers; Xavier do Amaral; detainees? Captured indonesian soldier Corporal Weli.
FILM ROLL 14
Falintil soldiers; Dili scenes; prisoners (UDT members?); hospital / medical scenes.
Prisoners include: Lucio Encarnaçao, Amadeu Coelho, Jaime Pereira (Frame 10); Fernando Fialho (13).
FILM ROLL 15
Falintil soldiers; armed forces drills; Xavier do Amaral; prisoners.
Prisoners include: Jose Godinho (Frame 12).
FILM ROLL 16
Falintil soldiers; Xavier do Amaral; unidentified groups of people; prisoners in Aileu (?).
FILM ROLL 17
Fretilin / Falintil soldiers; prisoners in truck; groups of people, children in unidentified town (Aileu?).
FILM ROLL 18
Fretilin / Falintil members including Jose Ramos-Horta, ‘Goinxet’ Bonaparte. Clear images of Falintil forces on parade.
FILM ROLL 19
Senior Fretilin members including Xavier do Amaral relaxing with others. Prisoners in building and courtyard. Horta, Alarico Fernandes, Xavier do Amaral meeting(?) with unidentified European (?).
FILM ROLL 20
Fretilin central committee members inside and outside building: Jose Ramos-Horta displaying (captured?) weapon; Rogerio Lobato talking/pointing to wall-map. Others photographed include Alarico Fernandes, Xavier do Amaral, Nicolau Lobato.
FILM ROLL 21
Falintil troops on patrol. Probably in western border area near Balibo & Batugade. Individual portraits including Jose Ramos-Horta.
FILM ROLL 22
Scenes from Dili. Includes hospital/medical images and Red Cross personnel. Also images of unidentified male with documents and the Australian resident hotel-owner Frank Favaro, later revealed to be an agent of the Australian overseas intelligence agency, ASIS.
FILM ROLL 23
Fretilin-held prisoners; images of traditionally armed fighters – some with Australian cameraman, Clive Scollay; groups of East Timorese and some Falintil members in unidentified town.
Prisoners include: Maggiolo Gouveia (Frame 12).
FILM ROLL 24
Falintil troops in groups and on parade – some including Jose Ramos-Horta.
FILM ROLL 25
Groups of women, children and catholic nuns – maybe medical or aid point; prisoners, including Portuguese(?) nationals; Fretilin leadership members including Alarico Fernandes.
Prisoners include: Jose Osorio Soares (Frames 17, 24), Jose Araujo (17), Abel Belo (24).
FILM ROLL 26
Falintil troops on patrol in unidentified countryside area, Jose Ramos-Horta accompanying.
FILM ROLL 27
Falintil troops on patrol in unidentified countryside area; images of East Timorese civilians walking in groups carrying possessions (displaced persons or refugees?).
FILM ROLL 28
Falintil forces in unidentified countryside area. Includes many images of local population.
FILM ROLL 29
Falintil forces in unidentified countryside area. Includes many photos of civilians, mostly adult males (some detainees?). Also includes images of unidentified European journalist/photographer.
FILM ROLL 30
Falintil forces in unidentified countryside area and town – probably Balibo. Troops on patrol and at leisure.
FILM ROLL 31
Large gathering of population, probably political rally but no banners etc. Mainly crowd shots but with some individual portraits in crowd. Maybe be related to images in Film Roll 38 below(?).
FILM ROLL 32
Groups of people and individuals – probably UDT-supporting prisoners/detainees.
Prisoners include: Maggiolo Gouvea (Frame 22) and captured Indonesian soldier, corporal Weli.
FILM ROLL 33
Falintil forces patrol in unidentified countryside area. Includes Jose Ramos-Horta
FILM ROLL 34
Uniformed Falintil troops; Xavier do Amaral in uniform; net-fishing in Dili harbour; unidentified Fretilin/Falintil member portrait; very young armed soldiers in training; Jose Ramos-Horta with Falintil troops.
FILM ROLL 35
Falintil forces patrol in unidentified countryside area. Includes Jose Ramos-Horta.
FILM ROLL 36
Falintil forces patrol in unidentified countryside area. Includes Jose Ramos-Horta addressing a soldier assembly. Also includes groups of civilian men and children in traditional daily garb.
FILM ROLL 37
Xavier do Amaral meeting unidentified European; Fretilin office scenes, including Alarico Fernandes; group of children with clenched fist salute; hospital scenes (wounded men?); prisoners behind wire fence.
FILM ROLL 38
Falintil forces patrol in unidentified countryside area and town. Includes Jose Ramos-Horta. Final frames of sheet show large crowd greeting Falintil vehicle arriving and then outside a building. Maybe related to gathering in Film Roll 31 above(?).
FILM ROLL 39
Large crowd in celebratory mood with traditional music and ornaments but no flags, banners (maybe related to crowd pictured in Rolls 31, 38 above?). Groups of East Timorese in unidentified countryside area. Fretilin leadership group members in meeting.
FILM ROLL 40
Falintil forces in unidentified town. Mainly images of large gathering of people (maybe related to images in Film Rolls 31, 38, 39?). Pictures of Jose Ramos-Horta and others addressing the crowd.
FILM ROLL 41
Falintil patrol group in unidentified countryside area and town. Includes images of shirtless Jose Ramos-Horta and images of civilian group carrying personal possessions (refugees?).
FILM ROLL 42-43
Roll 42: Fretilin leadership members in meeting; prisoners behind barred window. Prisoners include Jose Osorio Soares (Frame 19).
Roll 43: Fretilin leadership group(?); includes Alarico Fernandes.
Return to introductory article on Penny Tweedie images.
Credits: Many thanks to:
Ben Tweedie for permission to publish this visual guide to Penny’s historical images.
Domingos Oliviera for assistance in identifying some of the Fretilin-held prisoners pictured.
It’s so amazing to see these very rare historical pictures, are there more pictures and videos available? thank you
Quite emotional to see photos of myself as a child- only footage of our arrival in Darwin Sept 1 1975, roll 05. Thank-you to a brave journalist Penny Tweedie for her courage to cover the the civil unrest back home in East-Timor. Many thanks to Ben for donating the negatives so I could trace my refugee journey into Australia. Truly grateful and I wish I had the opportunity to thank Penny Tweedie in person- RIP. How can I purchase negatives to print photos??
Thanks for your reactions. Maria. I will respond to your question in a couple of days. Best wishes. John Waddingham.