Indigenous Stories
The Memorial is honoured to be able to share the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Finding Walter Parker
For years, Private Walter Parker’s story remained a mystery. Today, he is recognised as the first known Indigenous soldier to die while serving overseas.
Lindsay Walker: 'It was just unimaginable grief'
Lindsay Walker was just 21 years old when he was killed in the Second World War. His mother collapsed at the door of their family home in Sydney when she heard the news.
Peniatha Warria: Defending his island home
During the Second World War, almost every able-bodied man in the Torres Straits signed up to defend their country against the threat of invasion. Among them was Private Peniatha Warria, a 23-year-old Kulkalgal man who volunteered to defend his island home.
Harry Aldridge: Navigating Bomber Command
In April 1945, more than 200 Lancaster bombers flew to six different parts of the Netherlands. Rather than releasing bombs over their targets, they would be dropping food as part of Operation Manna. Among those taking part was Harry Aldridge, the first navigator in Bomber Command to be identified as having Aboriginal heritage by researchers at the Australian War Memorial.
Remembering Alex Bidice
Lyn Burke was researching First World War soldiers from Proserpine when she first came across the name, Private Alex Bidice.
Sedoi Harvey: a life of service
Growing up in Townsville in the 1970s, Sedoi Harvey would often see soldiers. Seeing them around town, in the movies, and on her television screen at home, she was inspired to join the army herself. A proud Torres Strait Islander woman, she would go on to serve in the Australian Army for more than 20 years.
A lasting friendship
Pamela Tapim and Frances Visini have been the best of friends since childhood. Born and raised on Thursday Island, the two Torres Strait Islander women went to school together before joining the Royal Australian Navy in the 1970s, forging a friendship that continues to this day.
Under the Kaiser's Crescent Moon
Two Indigenous Australians spent the last year of the Great War at an unlikely prisoner-of-war camp in Germany.
Dolly Batcho: a woman of courage and conviction
When Corporal Dolly Batcho was given a bucket of sand from Mindil Beach, she openly wept. Dolly had left her ancestors' lands in Darwin to serve in Adelaide River during the Second World War