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Our frontier war history whitewash continues
Veteran David Williams (L) and Pastor Ray Minniecon (C) lead a parade honouring Aboriginal war veterans through the streets of Redfern on ANZAC Day
by Ray Jackson 28 April 2014
L
ast Friday, Anzac Day, I again made the decision to forgo the main Anzac march in the city as I have done for many years. I have found I could honour my Australian father who was killed on the Kokoda Track during WW2 in other more private ways. I have, however, been attending the black diggers march beginning at the Redfern Park cenotaph and after the laying of wreaths and some speeches we march to the block for more speeches and a feast of pies generously supplied by Harry’s Cafe de Wheels. The most moving moment of the whole event, at least to me, was the ode and the playing of
the last post. These words and bugle notes have been with me as I attended the dawn services at Martin Place in the city as a child and as a teenager. The most standout event was my attendance at the Bomana War Cemetery in Papua New Guinea many years ago. After the obligatory ‘gunfire breakfast’ of course. I do however find examples of obsequiousness that I personally find very grating but I do, however, have an understanding of why they are done. Twice the Australian anthem was sung to us by Hilton Donovan, once at the park cenotaph and again at the block. I make a personal decision, as I know other Aborigines do, to not recognise this attempt by government to whitewash our black and white
history. At the park we were already upstanding so as Hilton rendered these words of shame I wondered how many of our fallen brothers and sisters would have agreed with the words of this odious work. I urge all Aborigines to actually read and decode the secret English embedded in this piece. I see nothing of value for our people. It does not even recognise our existence in its words of comfort to the invaders. At the block, as Hilton repeated the words once more, I remained seated. As I did for many years when they played God Save The Queen as the anthem. We have the usual coterie of political representatives, none of whom have ever wore a uniform or heard a shot fired in anger I will claim, speechifying us with their
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words and being given the honour of laying wreaths at the Redfern cenotaph and receiving gifts at the block. I must state here and now that I do not include the NSW Governor, Professor Marie Bashir with this group of camp-followers. The standing ovation given in full honour and respect to her was most deserved and required and I fully endorsed that being done. My honour and respect to Marie goes not to her office but to her personally. Marie is a long time supporter of the Aboriginal struggle and my involvement with her goes back to the early 90’s when she was in charge of health, and mental health issues especially, whilst I was the management committee co-coordinator of the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee. We would meet, along with others, to discuss the health and mental health issues of Aboriginal inmates and young detainees in the incarceration system. I attempted to congratulate her supportive stand once more but her attention was continually diverted away from my presence by the organisers. Another irksome practice I find is to give space to some local Aborigines who are identified as being leaders of the Redfern community to strut their stuff so to speak. Like the politicians, I believe none have ever served or heard a shot fired in anger. Neither have I heard a shot fired in anger but I have served in the RAN, however briefly, and the CMF in my younger years. I state unequivocally that I am not ‘back-dooring’ an application to lay wreaths or get gifts. Most certainly I am not. I just want some sense and reality in the black diggers event. Whilst it may be seen to be correct to get the brigadiers
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Ray Jackson
and other military officers of high rank to lay wreaths we must ask where are the lower rank black diggers? A couple of years ago mention was made, however briefly, of the frontier wars and their most natural inclusion on this day of remembrance whilst wreaths were laid at the Redfern Park cenotaph. That seems to be no longer practiced. Professor John Maynard at the block made an excellent contribution on this most important point but the organisers, including Pastor Ray Minnecon, a man I have great respect for in this important area, seem to prefer to now leave their thoughts on the inclusion of the frontier wars to others outside of the organising group. Why? Why is not a wreath laid to the struggle of our warriors, both men and women, who gave their lives fighting for their lands against the invaders? Why does not Ray, who I know has a deep personal commitment to the frontier wars process, lay that wreath? Perhaps Mark Spinks, the mc of the event, could do so? Why is there now silence at the cenotaph relative to our fallen warriors? Is not the laying of a wreath a proper and respectful recognition of our collective Aboriginal struggle and to those who lost their lives to, and as a result of, that struggle? I would
say yes. Why is there now a strong sense that the political correctness of the black-arm-band construct is now being placed in the dominant position? I assume that the answer is funding. The pipers and tunes scenario. But surely no government funding is really required. I believe that the black diggers event can be produced without the need for government dollars from any level. It is my understanding that Ray and others, including myself, fully support the inclusion of the frontier wars not only in the main cenotaph in Canberra but also at Redfern and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events to commemorate our fallen warriors in all the wars our people have fought and died in. Another aim is to have a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander war memorial, at a place yet to be decided. That national memorial will be managed by our own people only and we will decide the true history that will be included in that memorial. Our war memorial will remove the whiteblindfold and our history of our involvement in all wars will be told. Without conditions. In Canberra, our memorial to our fallen warriors is behind the main memorial up a bush track. Why is it there? In Sydney our Aboriginal artwork memorial is also not included in the main memorial building but is to the rear or to the side of that building. Again, why? As in all areas of life, recognition without respect, a proper respect, is truly demeaning. To my mind the racism continues. Roll on 25th April, 2015. Whereby the centenary of a military disaster, defeat and retreat from Gallipoli is to become a nationalistic frenzy as our governments and politicians seek to manufacture a glorification of war over the need for remembrance of the horror of war.