Aborigines when volunteering to serve for this country had to sign a document to deny their aboriginality
That line was from a news article on Bigpond News titled “Indigenous Anzacs seek closure“. I ask you to go and read the article and watch to the embedded video.
Indigenous Australians have been in Australia’s Armed forces since the Boer War. Indigenous Australians weren’t even counted in the census until 1967 yet still denied their birthright as they volunteered for the Armed Forces.
As it’s Anzac Day I’d thought that this Sunday afternoon I’d point you towards a few interesting links about our Indigenous Australians who signed up at a time they were excluded from most of society.
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has a site titled Indigenous Australians at War. In a number of short articles they talk of the difference in being accepted in the Armed Forces to how they were treated when brought home. Excluded from Soldier Settlement blocks as an example, and of course not being able to be served drinks at the same bar in the pub. There is a list of all Indigenous Prisoners of War through the years and a very interesting Bibliography.
It is estimated that 500-800 Aboriginal Australians served in the First World War. The Australian War memorial has a short piece on the search for the five Aboriginal Servicemen graves thought to be at Gallipoli as well as descriptions and pictures of all the exhibits containing information about Aboriginal servicemen through the years including personal records, art, photographs, manuscripts sound and film.
And lastly head over to Creative Spirits for a large number of posts covering Indigenous Australian involvement in our past wars.
Have a Pleasant (Anzac Day) Sunday afternoon
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