A new memorial of First Nations servicemen and women has been unveiled in Brisbane’s ANZAC Square ensuring the service and sacrifice of all Australian military personnel are honoured with dignity and respect.
Formally unveiled by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dedicated Memorial Committee Queensland Inc., the new memorial ensures that the important contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women is openly recognised.
Ms Palaszczuk said that right throughout history Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders had served the nation courageously as members of Australia’s armed forces and it was important that their efforts be acknowledged.
“This memorial will be a permanent reminder of their valour and sacrifice and is an opportunity to commemorate the stories of First Nations service men and women,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“It’s another step in our nation’s path to reconciliation,” she said.
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Craig Crawford said the Government was committed to Treaty with First Nations peoples and the new memorial marked a significant step along that journey.
“This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme asks us all to be brave, and make change,” Mr Crawford said.
“It takes courage to speak the truth about history, but that honesty is fundamental to creating a new way for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and non-Indigenous peoples to work together as equals, with mutual respect.”
He said First Nations peoples served in armed conflicts from the Boer War onwards and continued to serve our country today.
Assistant Minister to the Premier for Veterans’ Affairs, Bart Mellish said the memorial was significant for currently serving First Nations Australian Defence Force personnel, veterans and their families.
“It’s been almost three decades since the last memorials were erected in Anzac Square, so today is a meaningful occasion,” Mr Mellish said.
The Brisbane memorial will join existing memorials in Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra and soon to be established ones in Ipswich and Woorabinda.
The bronze memorial was designed by Wakka Wakka artist John Smith Gumbula and Gold Coast-based sculptor Liam Hardy and features four First Nations Army, Air Force, Navy, and Medical Services personnel with two dancers representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
