The Anzac Day legend & Coloured Digger Anzac march

In Australia the 'ANZACs' have hero status and Anzac Day is a day of colourful commemorations where Australia's ex-servicemen and servicewomen march the streets. This article focuses on Australia's Aboriginal war veterans and the Coloured Digger march which started in 2007.

Australia's first Coloured Diggers March on Anzac Day 2007

About 500 Indigenous people served in World War I, while in WWII there were about 5,000 Indigenous diggers⁶. But accurate numbers might never be known as there is no current record of how many Indigenous Australians have served in the armed forces. Many Aboriginal diggers did not identify themselves as Indigenous when they joined the military because they were not allowed to. Instead they pretended to be Maori or Indian.

Upon their return to Australia, instead of recognition and grace, Aboriginal diggers received ignorance and racism, were not eligible for returned servicemen land grants or even membership of Returned Services League (RSL) clubs, and sometimes even found that the government had taken their children away while they defended their land (see below section An Anzac aftermath).

Aboriginal people decided to draw attention to their history and organised Australia's first Coloured Diggers March on Anzac Day (25th April 2007) in Redfern.

Hundreds of Indigenous veterans and their descendants marched along Redfern Street to St Saviour's church in Sydney's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anzac Day parade.

Critical voices asked why Aboriginal people needed their own march when they could have participated in the main Anzac march. It appears that due to the past lack of acknowledgement a Coloured Diggers March was thought to be a good vehicle to make the general population aware of the merits of Indigenous war veterans. What they need most is honour, recognition and respect.

Our people were denied the honour, recognition and respect accorded to other servicemen and servicewomen. —Pastor Ray Minniecon, Aboriginal pastor in Sydney¹⁴

In 2008 the Coloured Diggers project was formed which wants to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans honour board. The board will record the Indigenous digger's name and tribal nation group. It'll be headed The Best We Forgot and designed with the help of Sydney Aboriginal artist Adam Hill^6a.

'The Best We Forgot' - Aboriginal war involvement

Aboriginal diggers served in all of Australia's main wars ever since the Boer Wars. Here is a list of wars where Indigenous soldiers served their country:

International Aboriginal war involvement

War	Year	Region
First Boer War	1880-1881	Transvaal, South Africa
Second Boer War	1899-1902	Transvaal, South Africa
World War I	1914-1918	mainly Europe
World War II	1937-1945	Europe, SE Asia, Middle East, Africa
Occupation of Japan	1946-1951	Japan
Korean War	1950-1953	Korea
Malayan Emergency	1950-1960	Malaya
Indonesian Confrontation	1963-1966	Indonesia, Malaysia
Vietnam War	1962-1975	Vietnam
Aboriginal people are counted as Australians	1967
First Gulf War	1990-1991	Iraq, Kuweit
Afghanistan	2001-present	Afghanistan
Second Gulf War	2003-present	Iraq
Peacekeeping	1947-present	worldwide

Note the year when Aboriginal people were recognised as citizens of their own land in relationship to the number of conflicts they had participated before that.

Yet Indigenous Australians were the backbone of the cattle industry which helped feed soldiers in both world wars, while Aboriginal women assisted in hospitals and factories despite not being paid equal wages¹⁶.

When my uncle came back from serving in Korea he couldn't even get a beer in a pub let alone a pension, and he wasn't permitted to become a citizen until 1968.—John Kinsella, nephew of Australia's most famous Indigenous soldier, Captain Reg Saunders MBE¹⁰

Did you know? In 2008 just over 1,000 Indigenous people were in the Australian Defence Forces, representing 1.4% of all employees¹⁷. Of the total population Indigenous people are about 2.3%.

But Aboriginal people were not only involved in international conflics. The following table might put your knowledge of Australian history to the test:

National Aboriginal wars ('Frontier Wars')

War	Year	Region
Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars	1790-1816	New South Wales
Black Wars	1803-1830	Tasmania
Port Phillip District Wars	1830-1850	New South Wales
Kalkadoon Wars	1870-1890	Queensland
Western Australian Conflict	1890-1898	Western Australia

Now, has Australia been 'settled' or 'invaded'?

All of the memorials that have been established generally commemorate the role of Australians in conflicts outside Australia and there is no precedent for a civil-style conflict to be commemorated.—Bill Crews, RSL National President¹⁹

Poem: Black Anzac

They have forgotten him, need him no more
He who fought for his land in nearly every war
Tribal fights before his country was taken by Captain Cook
Then went overseas to fight at Gallipoli and Tobruk

World War One two black Anzacs were there
France, Europe's desert, New Guinea's jungles, did his share
Korea, Malaya, Vietnam again black soldier enlisted
Fight for democracy was his duty he insisted

Back home went his own way not looking for praise
Like when he was a warrior in the forgotten days
Down on the Gold Coast a monument in the Bora Ring
Recognition at last his praises they are starting to sing

This black soldier who never marches on ANZAC Day
Living in his Gunya doesn't have much to say
Thinks of his friends who fought some returned some died
If only one day they could march together side by side

His medals he keeps hidden away from prying eyes
No-one knows, no-one sees the tears in his old black eyes
He's been outcast just left by himself to die
Recognition at last black ANZAC hold your head high

Every year at Gold Coast's Yegumbah Bora Ring site
Black ANZAC in uniform and medals a magnificent sight
The rock with Aboriginal tribal totems paintings inset
The Kombumerri people's inscription of LEST WE FORGET

—Cecil Fisher, Aboriginal Australian who served in Korea.

For more details on the Gold Coast Aboriginal Anzac memorial see Aboriginal Anzac Day war memorials below.

The Anzac legend vs. killing Aboriginal people

Thousands of Australians visit Gallipoli in Turkey every year. Papers issue 'Anzac Day warnings' and remind war veterans and relatives that "only the original medal recipient is entitled to wear medals on the left" while relatives' medals should be "worn on the right"². In fact, veterans, their wives, children and grandchildren taking part in Anzac Day events "can travel for free on the entire CityRail network, Sydney Buses and Sydney Ferries"³.

All this for around 2,300 Australian citizen who died at World War I⁵. Can we compare this figure to the number of Aborigines killed by white Australians?

A conservative estimate of the number of Aborigines in Sydney Cove in 1788 is about 1,500⁴. With a bounty on their heads we have to consider that Indigenous people were scared of the white man and wouldn't present themselves readily for counting. Three years later these people had been all but wiped out: Three Aborigines are said to have survived a smallpox epidemic which swept through the Indigenous population⁴.

Let's assume that Governor Phillip could only count 1,500 Aboriginal people because the others successfully hid in the bush. Let's further assume that those hiding amounted to 800. Then the number of Australian casualties at Gallipoli matches the number of Aboriginal people killed by the invasion of white people (though indirectly). I didn't even start to count any massacres on Aboriginal people here.

An uneven memorial balance

How many Anzac Memorials do you know of? I pass by at least three on my way home. And how many memorials do you know which commemorate any part of Aboriginal culture, let alone participation in a war?

That's exactly the point. Shouldn't we read this in the newspaper instead:

Indigenous elders and their wives, children and grandchildren taking part in Australia Day events can travel for free on the entire CityRail network, Sydney Buses and Sydney Ferries.

An Anzac aftermath

When you're serving, things are pretty equal. You do your job well, your mates respect you and you get promoted. It's when you get back that it gets hard on the black digger. —David Williams, president NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans Association

When Aboriginal people returned from war they faced many challenges, some even many years after they had returned:

• No recognition for what they had achieved. White diggers were heroes, Aboriginal diggers forgotten and their names were omitted from war memorials across Australia.
• Excluded from RSLs. Returned Services Leagues offered a forum to returned diggers to enjoy comradeship and share memories. For a long time Aboriginal diggers were not allowed entry.
• Back to the mission. For many Aboriginal diggers who returned from WWI and WWII it meant that they had to go back to the missions they had lived on, back to the physical and psychological abuse they suffered there.
• The children were taken away. To the horror of what they had experienced at war came the loss of their children which were taken away whilst the Aboriginal diggers defended their land.
• Their pay was withheld from their families, another aspect of the stolen wages affair in Australia.
• Unable to march with their comrades on Anzac Day or join with them in after-march events.
• No access to veterans' benefits for a variety of reasons¹⁴.
• War traumata continued to affect all diggers. As a consequence Aboriginal diggers were unable to forge lasting relationships and turned to drinking alcohol¹³.

  Uncle Jimmy was the only one of the four brothers who got any counselling and was the only one who would even mention the war.—Susie Russell, sister of the brothers¹³

A forgotten Anzac ceremony for Indigenous diggers

While tens of thousands of Australians remember white diggers in a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, less than one percent of such a crowd know about an informal ceremony which runs since almost ten years and commemorates Aboriginal soldiers.

This service is held behind the overwhelming structure of the Australian War Memorial, a few hundred metres into the bushland, at a privately financed Anzac memorial plaque for Aboriginal diggers (see Aboriginal Anzac Day war memorials below for more details).

When we were serving in the services we had families and we were away from the community, and it meant so much to us and our families because that's the identity of who we are.—Harry Allie, Aboriginal digger⁷

Torres Strait Islanders and Anzac Day

It's hard enough to find references to Aboriginal diggers, but Indigenous soldiers from the Torres Strait are even less mentioned. Australian history seems to ignore the fact that the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was the only Indigenous Australian battalion ever formed in the Australian army. The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was formed to defend the Strait as a major shipping route¹² and counted 745 Indigenous Australians in August 1943¹¹.

The battalion's men were paid only one-third the wages of white soldiers; the survivors were compensated in the early 1980s.

In terms of the percentage of men who joined the armed forces the Torres Strait Islanders have contributed the most soldiers than any other Australian group.

War presented and still presents an opportunity for Indigenous men and women to enjoy an equality between black and white that was not available to Indigenous people at home and remains elusive to this day. —National Indigenous Times¹⁵

Poem: The Coloured Digger

He came and joined the colours, when the War God's anvil rang,
He took up modern weapons to replace his boomerang,
He waited for no call-up, he didn't need a push,
He came in from the stations, and the townships of the bush.

He helped when help was wanting, just because he wasn't deaf;
He is right amongst the columns of the fighting A.I.F.
He is always there when wanted, with his Owen gun or Bren,
He is in the forward area, the place where men are men.

He proved he's still a warrior, in action not afraid,
He faced the blasting red hot fire from mortar and grenade;
He didn't mind when food was low, or we were getting thin,
He didn't growl or worry then, he'd cheer us with his grin.

He'd heard us talk democracy--, They preach it to his face--
Yet knows that in our Federal House there's no one of his race.
He feels we push his kinsmen out, where cities do not reach,
And Parliament has yet to hear the Abo's maiden speech.
One day he'll leave the Army, then join the League he shall,
And he hope's we'll give a better deal to the Aboriginal.

—by Sapper Bert Beros, a non-Aboriginal soldier in WWII.
Written about an Aboriginal soldier, Private West.

Australian Aboriginal Anzac Day war memorials

Australia has thousands of Anzac war memorials, dozens in the big cities. But there are not many Aboriginal war memorials commemorating Indigenous diggers.

Aboriginal war memorial plaque, Canberra (ACT)

There is an Aboriginal war memorial plaque in Canberra, ACT, set up not by the Australian government but by private citizens. It is not in the spotlight and not easy to find. You can find the Aboriginal war memorial plaque in the vicinity of the Australian War Memorial, a ten-minute walk away.

Aerial map showing how to find the Aboriginal Anzac War Memorial plaque

Michael Southwell-Keely describes how to get there: "From the cairn marking the end of the Remembrance Driveway take the path that leads up Mount Ainslie. Cross bridge and go through walkers gate to the junction of two tracks. Take the left metalled track signposted Mt Ainslie Walking Trail. After 100 metres the track goes through two walkers gates and crosses a gravel road. Continue on the track for about 50 metres from the second gate to sign marked Aboriginal Plaque 70 metres. Take the narrow track on the left until you come to a group of boulders."⁸

Aboriginal memorial plaque, Launceston (TAS)

The second Anzac memorial for Indigenous people is in Kings Park, Launceston, Tasmania. The memorial plaque carries the Rising Sun and Tri Services Badge emblems and reads: "Proudly dedicated in recognition of the Tasmanian Aborigines who served or fell in the defence of their country 1901 - 1999"⁹.

Rock inscription, Burleigh Heights (QLD)

In Burleigh Height National Park (Gold Coast, Queensland) there is an ancient bora ring (sacred initiation ground) with a large rock. The rock features tribal totems paintings and an inscription.

The inscription reads:

"This rock is placed here to honour Yugambeh men and women who served in defence of this country. Yugambeh is the linguistic name of the Aboriginal people whose tribal region extends inland from the Logan and Nerang rivers and includes the areas covered by all the adjacent streams and creeks. Yugambeh family groups include Kombumerri, Wangeribubba, Migunburri, Munajahli, Gugigin, Birinburra and others. We honour those who served in the armed forces and those who made the supreme sacrifice. The symbolism of this rock serves to highlight the role played by Indigenous Australians in defence of this country."

The war memorial was erected by the Komburri Aboriginal Corporation for Culture with support and assistance from the Gold Coast City Council on April 21, 1991. Komburri Aboriginal Corporation for Culture, P.O. Box 668, Runaway Bay QLD 4216.

Aboriginal memorial, East Victoria Park (WA)

A RSL Aboriginal memorial can be found on Fred Bell Parade in East Victoria Park, near Perth, WA. It's a black granite rock with a memorial nameplate and flagpole flying the Aboriginal flag. It reads:

"In memory of the Aboriginal service men and women of the Victoria Park District who served their country in its hours of need in doing so they helped to build a Nation. Dedicated 3 February 2002."

Aboriginal soldier memorial, Yirrkala (NT)

Another memorial for Aboriginal soldiers is in Yirrkala, Northern Territory, to commemorate the Yolngu men who served in northern Australia during World War II.

Planned Aboriginal servicemen memorial, Adelaide (SA)

South Australia plans to erect a memorial to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women in Adelaide¹⁸.

The project is driven by a veterans Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial committee and the memorial would be the first to specifically commemorate servicemen and women.

Planned memorial, Sydney (NSW)

Sydney currently considers building a memorial commemorating Aboriginal veterans of the wars. The Coloured Diggers Project are campaigning for an Aboriginal monument to be built at Bennelong Point, Hyde Park or Circular Quay¹⁰.

Aboriginal Anzac Day and Coloured Digger Resources

• The Forgotten by Indigenous director Glen Stasiuk is a 40-minute documentary about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander war veterans.
• Indigenous Australians at War, an online exhibition by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Library.

• Contact the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Veterans and Services Association of Australia (ATSIVSAA), started in 1999 to encourage more veterans to come forward and to give advice on welfare and pension services to Indigenous veterans, service personnel, widows, widowers and their dependants.

  National office: ATSIVSAA, PO Box 599, Wanniassa ACT 2903, phone 02 - 6282 7513.

Out of respect for Aboriginal culture I use Indigenous sources as much as possible.
^{1 2}MX News, 18/4/2007, p.2 ³MX News, 20/4/2007, p.4 ⁴http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani/themes/theme1.htm, ⁵http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_at_Anzac_Cove, ⁶Sydney Morning Herald, 17/4/2007 ^6a'Indigenous servicemen to be remembered', Sydney Morning Herald, 23/4/2008 ⁷'Indigenous diggers march through Redfern', www.abc.net.au, 25/4/2008 ⁸'Aboriginal Memorial Plaque', http://www.skp.com.au/memorials2/pages/00013.htm ⁹http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/special/rsjproject/rsjlibrary/car/mr/car231.html ¹⁰'Lest we forget: indigenous diggers still fighting', Sydney Morning Herald, 10/4/2008 ¹¹Australian War Memorial, http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/aborigines/index.asp ¹²South Sydney Herald April 2007, http://www.redwatch.org.au/media/070401e/ ¹³'A little sister remembers', Koori Mail 425 p.11 ¹⁴'Our "Forgotten" heroes take pride of place', Koori Mail 425 p.11 ¹⁵'The forgotten remembered', National Indigenous Times, 31 July 2002 ¹⁶'Australia still blind to the black war efforts', NIT, 1/5/2008 p.20 ¹⁷'Defence targets jobs', Koori Mail 430 p.7 ¹⁸'SA memorial for Indigenous diggers', NIT 12/6/2008 p.5 ¹⁹'Learning to forget the past', NIT 12/6/2008 p.28

Content

• Australia's first Coloured Diggers March on Anzac Day 2007
• 'The Best We Forgot' - Aboriginal war involvement
• The Anzac legend vs. killing Aboriginal people
• An Anzac aftermath
• Aboriginal Anzac Day war memorials
• Aboriginal Anzac Day Resources

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