Black Anzacs – History is Made
Thanks to the dedication of Aunty Dot Peters and Egyptian born former RAAF FSGT Sam Halim, the contributions of our indigenous service men and women are finally being recognised in remembrance services throughout Australia
Black Diggers are finally honoured by Aunty Dot & Sam Halim
Why did Egyptian-born Sam Halim take on the struggle to honour Aunty Dot Peters’ father and the other forgotten Australian soldiers?
Put quite simply, Sam Halim took on the struggle because he believed Aboriginal soldiers deserved the same recognition as white Australian servicemen. In the words of Mick Dodson, Director of National Centre for Indigenous Studies (ANU): “….If you fight for your country, it owes you equality; if you fight for freedom, you should be entitled to that freedom too..”
Sam was motivated by his own experiences in the Air Force, where over many years he suffered prejudice and discrimination.
RACISM AND SUSPICION OF FRAUD WITHIN RSL
It has already been established that RSL Vic State President at the time David McLachlan was fiercely opposed to honouring the indigenous soldiers. When asked about the “no black bastard died for Australia” comment, he had said to Sam Halim: “Maybe they [those people]...
Aunty Dot’s Story
Aunty Dot Peters was born in 1930 in Melbourne and spent much of her childhood at Corranderrk Aboriginal Mission in Healesville, where she learned the traditional arts of weaving and basket coiling. Aunty Dot’s father Vincent fought in the Second World War. He was...
RECONCILIATION: HOW IT ALMOST DIDN’T HAPPEN, THANKS (OR NO THANKS) TO THE INTERFERENCE OF ANZAC HOUSE/VICTORIAN STATE BRANCH
“No black bastard fought and died for Australia”. These words overheard by a distraught Aunty Dot Peters coming from the mouth of a member at Healesville RSL ignited the battle cry for the reconciliation movement. Such deeply entrenched racist views sitting at the...
Sam Halim’s Story
Egyptian born ex- Royal Australian Air Force Flight Sergeant Sam Halim had a distinguished Air Force career. Sam’s testimonial for...
Background to the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service
The first official Aboriginal Remembrance Service took place at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne in 2007 and services have been taking place throughout Australia ever since. For years the Victorian aboriginal community had been calling for formal recognition of...
We wish to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation as the traditional owners of this land, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people