Army Indigenous stories
Stories that relate to Indigenous service members and service initiatives will regularly appear in this section.
SA Indigenous Pre Recruitment CourseDefence is holding the first Indigenous Pre-Recruitment Course (IPRC) in South Australia, offering unique personal and professional development opportunities to young Indigenous Australians.
Soldiers Embrace Indigenous CultureHQ 16 Avn Bde’s inaugural NAIDOC Week ceremony at Gallipoli Barracks on July 4 was well attended, with about 100 members of the unit present.
Soldiers take historic stepsSoldiers from 9th Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment (9 RQR) have taken 37 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenagers on a five-day 115km trek from Kilcoy to the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg in south-east Queensland.
Mentors drive successPrivate Raymond Solinas has overcome many obstacles to achieve his ambition of becoming an Australian soldier and he couldn’t have done it without the encouragement, support and dedication of two Army warrant officers.
Major Babui makes historyIt was a proud day for Australian Army Cadet (AAC) Major Francisco Babui when he was promoted by Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison to become the first indigenous major in the AAC’s Northern Territory Battalion.
A chance to improve Indigenous recordsAboriginal soldiers are being encouraged to identify their heritage on Personnel management Key Solutions (PMKeyS) for National Reconciliation Week from May 27 to June 3, 2011.
Angus Houston talks Indigenous servicemen and reconciliationReconciliation Australia published a video from Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston (ret'd) talking about the contribution of Indigenous servicemen and why he supports National Reconciliation Week.
Celebrating those who darePast and present indigenous servicemen and women were honoured and remembered at the Australian War Memorial during the Defence Indigenous Memorial Service on July 4 for NAIDOC Week.
Century of Loyal ServiceFrom the Boer War through to recent operations in Afghanistan, Indigenous Australians have made a significant contribution to Australia’s military history.
Helping close the gapIndigenous delegates from across Australia came together in Canberra for the 5th Annual Defence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network conference from August 15-16.
History Making event for ArmyDespite not winning a game at the All Blacks rugby league carnival in Townsville, Army stood tall and proud after entering its first ever team in the indigenous event.
Inflating smiles“A once in a lifetime experience.” That is how two soldiers described their most recent deployment. Sergeant Terrence Bligh, Defence Force Recruiting Parramatta, and Corporal Chris Causby, Defence Force Recruiting Perth, participated in Exercise Arnhem Drifter from July 28 to August 31, 2011.
Good book returnedThe Bible of indigenous World War One digger Private Richard McDonald was returned to its hometown of Kiama recently.
- External stories of interest
This section contains link to external stories of interest for the Army Indigneous community.
Continuing traditionCaptain Chloe Dray, of Norforce, is a descendant of the Gungurri people of Western Queensland and is a third-generation servicewoman.
Defence Indigenous Program changes lives for betterAfter completing the pilot Defence Indigenous Development Program (DIDP) in December 2009, Private Anthony Baker from the North-West Mobile Force (NORFORCE) has gone from strength to strength.
