 Within 10 day of surrender Curlewis worked with Lesley Greener to develop a diverse range of courses.The objective of the Changi University was to address the boredom of being a prisoner of war, provide education to the men some who had missed a lot of school due to the depression and enlisting in the army.Curlewis also worked on the wharves unloading vessels for the Japanese until April 1943 after which he was sent with a working party to the Thai-Burma Railway.