As for all Australians, serving in the armed forces had many benefits. It was a chance to serve your country, a paid employment opportunity and many people sought the adventure and comradery. However, for Indigenous Australians, it was an opportunity to break free of the daily constraints that they were expected to live with in the early 1900’s. Due to government discrimination, Indigenous Australians were not allowed to enlist in the armed forces. Many Indigenous Australian’s enlisted as Māori, Indian or Pacific Islander to join Australia’s armed forces. Although the numbers are not clear on how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples enlisted due to ethnicity not being recorded, it is believed that over 400 Indigenous Australians enlisted in World War I.

This week 5/6M learnt about the brave Indigenous people who fought in World War 1 and created fact files to learn more about those people.

By Myles Thorburn

By Zarah Brooks

By Tia Chiotelis

By Zarlee Graham