It's been a long walk: blacks unite for march

"It's when you get back that it gets hard on the black digger" ...
David Williams, who was on HMAS Vampire in the Vietnam War.

"It's when you get back that it gets hard on the black digger" ... David Williams, who was on HMAS Vampire in the Vietnam War.
Photo: Nick Moir

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Paul Bibby
April 17, 2007

WHEN David Williams's uncle returned from the Korean War - exhausted and recovering from a gunshot wound - the family took him to Greenslopes Repatriation Hospital in Brisbane. The door was closed in their faces.

"They basically said, 'Just another black coon'," Mr Williams said. "They didn't want to know us. The fact that he fought for his country - nearly died for his country - didn't mean anything to them.

"They left him to look after himself and he ended up hitting the booze and just slowly deteriorating."

This was not an isolated experience. About 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders fought in World War I and as many as 5000 took part in World War II, according to Australian War Memorial records.

But while they fought alongside other Australians in the trenches, on the battlefields of Europe and in the jungles of Asia, those who made it back often received little or no recognition of their efforts and continued to face racism at home.

Next Wednesday, despite criticism from the RSL, their unique experiences and contribution will be recognised when hundreds of indigenous veterans and their descendants march through Redfern in Sydney's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anzac Day parade.

Organisers are expecting more than 300 people to attend the inaugural Coloured Diggers march, which will pass along Redfern Street to St Saviour's church, where an indigenous Anzac Day service will be held.

Mr Williams, who served on HMAS Vampire during the Vietnam War, will join the Redfern march after taking part in the traditional parade in central Sydney. He believes a separate march for indigenous veterans is long overdue.

"When you're serving, things are pretty equal," he said.

"You do your job well, your mates respect you and you get promoted. It's when you get back that it gets hard on the black digger.

"We need more people to recognise the contribution they made and the situation they faced when they got back."

The RSL said yesterday it would prefer that indigenous veterans take part in the established Anzac Day parade.

"They appear to be conducting an alternative march, which is unfortunate," said the RSL national president, Bill Crews.

"They could be part of any of the services and marches being conducted around NSW and do not need to conduct any service of their own. It's unfortunate they don't feel they will get the attention they need at those services."

Mr Crews also expressed concern over a call by the march organisers to have a separate honour roll for indigenous war veterans placed in the Australian War Memorial.

"Our honour roll contains all of those who served," he said. "It doesn't distinguish in terms of background."

The organiser of the indigenous veterans' march, Pastor Ray Minniecon, said there was no intention to snub the RSL.

"A lot of our people don't march on Anzac Day and we're simply trying to give them the opportunity to be recognised and acknowledged in the same way that anyone who served … should be recognised.

"While our men were out there fighting in the wars their kids were being taken away to the missions. When they got back they were still treated like second-class citizens. They weren't even allowed in the RSL, and the only way they were marching was at the back of the line."




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