Remarks at Coloured Diggers Anzac Day Memorial Service
JULIEBISHOP: GovernorHurley, Tanya Plibersek, Excellencies, distinguished guests, friends, all.Thank you for the very warm welcome to country and for the magnificentperformance of 'The Love of Country' by Tony.
On this day in 1915 the soldiers of the Australia New Zealand Army Corpsstepped foot on the darkened beach of the cliff-strewn peninsula known asGallipoli. They were thousands and thousands of miles from home. Over thecourse of the next few months of this bloody and brutal campaign the courageand resilience and mateship that they demonstrated in the face of overwhelmingodds was so profound that these qualities became integral to our nationalstory, our national spirit, our national character. The acronym 'ANZAC' becomesynonymous with those qualities around the world.
On this ANZAC Day, 103 years later, in this year, the 100th anniversaryof the end of World War I, we pay tribute to all Australians who served ournation in defence of freedom. We gather here today in particular to pay tributeto the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders who served this country, forthere were thousands and thousands of Indigenous Australians who were part ofour effort to defend our nation, defend our way of life, to defend freedom.
Their contribution was not always recognised. Thankfully, mercifully,that has changed and we march together today to honour them, to pay our deepestrespects for their service and their sacrifice, in the First and Second WorldWars, in Korea and Vietnam, in the Pacific, in the Middle East, in Afghanistan.
There are some extraordinary stories of courage and leadership from ourindigenous soldiers. Albert Knight was born in 1894 in rural New South Wales.He enlisted with his two brothers in 1915. In 1916 he was fighting on theWestern Front. He was wounded, he was hospitalised many times. In September1918 he led the Australian attack against the enemy in the French Village ofBony. He was decorated with the distinguished Conduct Medal, he was promoted toCorporeal. In 1919 he found his way home and continued to work back at Bourkeuntil he died in 1973 but not all of them came home.
There is a particularly sad story of Augustus Pegg Farmer. He was aNoongar man from Katanning in Western Australia. He also enlisted in 1915 andfought in Belgium and in France. He was decorated with a Military Medal forgallantry and devotion to duty in the face of fire and he was the first Indigenoussoldier to receive that medal. He was tragically killed in action just threemonths before the end of the First World War. We don't know where he lies buthis name is on the list of the thousands and thousands of Australians withunknown graves on the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux inFrance.
The tradition and the legacy carried through to the Second World War -an extraordinary leader, Captain Reg Saunders. He was born in 1920 in Victoria.He enlisted in 1940 and he was the first Indigenous soldier to be acommissioned officer. He showed remarkable leadership in the Middle East, inNorth Africa and in Papua New Guinea. He was decorated with an MBE in 1971,until his death he was known as one of the great soldiers. He died in 1990.
Today we remember all of the Indigenous soldiers and all the men andwomen who served, and who are serving today. One of our finest battalions isthe 51st Battalion of the Far North Queensland Regiment and 30 percent of the Battalion's personnel are drawn from the Indigenous localcommunities. This Battalion is charged with protecting Northern Australia, avital task. It can draw its lineage to a Battalion that was first raised in theFirst World War.
Its motto, the Battalion's motto is: 'Ducit Amor Patriae', that's Latin.In English it's: 'The love of country that leads me'. How very apt for that tobe the motto, it's: 'The love of country that leads me', for the IndigenousAustralians love of country inspires us all.
Lest we forget.