Loose Lips

James Newton is a Vietnam veteran who is wounded in spirit and in body. As a freelance journalist, recently divorced, he is tasked with interviewing a legend by the name of Chocko from Morocco, who lives in Arthur River, in the north-west of Tasmania. James is astounded by the revelations of the old soldier, who was a member of MI5 during World War Two and has become an activist in Tasmania’s environmental conflicts. Parallels emerge between the lives of the two men, as they share their experiences of the deepest horrors of war which, not entirely exorcised, have affected family life. James and Chocko conclude that nothing has changed, other than the size of wars. Those who fight usually suffer for the rest of their lives, and so do their families. Ray Clift has based Loose Lips on many stories recalled from the years when he rubbed shoulders with service people.