Anzac Day: Indigenous soldiers thought ‘when we got back we’d be treated differently’

Anzac Day: Indigenous soldiers thought ‘when we got back we’d be treated differently’

Often shunned by an Australian society that did not recognise their service, today Indigenous veterans will lead the national Anzac Day march for the first time.

Advocates say it is an overdue acknowledgement for the thousands of Indigenous veterans who were ignored on their return, with some not allowed in the RSL or offered assistance by Legacy.

I can almost guarantee that many of them have never ever marched before for various reasons,” Garth O’Connell, secretary of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association, said.

He said it would be a “very special and poignant moment” for many families of Indigenous veterans who have since died.

Uncle Harry Allie — who joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1966 — will be marching in Canberra.

“We’re very proud and it’s very fulfilling for us,” he said.

“It’s something that we’ve been trying to make aware to the wider public that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women served.”

Source: Anzac Day: Indigenous soldiers thought ‘when we got back we’d be treated differently’ – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)