In April this year the Australian War Memorial (AWM) Canberra launched a touring exhibition that highlights the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made to the Defence of Australia.
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The exhibition is called For Country, For Nation and the AWM says it explores the themes of remembrance and tradition through family histories, objects, art and photographs.
The exhibition draws inspiration from traditions and symbols of warrior culture. For Country, for Nation is themed on stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders experience in times of both war and peace.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders continue to serve in the Navy, Army, Air Force and Defence industry.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is proud of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander military and civilian personnel and their contributions across the organisation. The ADF states that Australia’s Indigenous people have participated in every war since Federation in 1901.
In order to maintain this tradition within its civilian and military workforce, Defence maintains initiatives aimed at the recruitment and retention of Indigenous Australian’s. For more information on these initiatives visit www.defence.gov.au and search for Indigenous Development Programs.
Many Indigenous Australians from the Mid North have been part of this tradition and I will highlight examples of this in future articles as we draw closer to the centenary of the Armistice in November 2018.
Although the AWM exhibition, For Country, for Nation, will not be visiting the Nambucca area, it will be at the Port Macquarie Glass House Gallery late in 2019 where the AMW invites you to pay your respects to Country, Ancestors and custodians; to acknowledge the guidance of the Elders of all Nations; and to recognise all the people who have shared their stories.
For more detail on the exhibition you can visit www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/for-country-for-nation
About the author: Mick Birtles is a recently retired army officer now living in Nambucca Heads. During his 36-year career, Birtles served in Bougainville, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for command and leadership. Here he shares his interest in the issues effecting veterans on the Mid North Coast.
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