Aboriginal serviceman Mark Richard Wortley, enlisted in World War 1 in 1918 (State Library of NSW, P1 / Wortley, Mark Richard)
As part of History Week, Jessica Horton will present a talk at the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts about Aboriginal Victorians who served in WWI and the particular struggles their families faced under Australia’s protection policy.
Aboriginal men who enlisted to fight in World War 1 were treated equally to white soldiers in many respects, however the situation at home was very different.Considered ‘protected persons’ under state legislation, the lives of Aboriginal people were restricted by protection policy and the families whose men fought in the war found themselves in a bind. Although they gained mobility and financial independence from their men’s war effort, it jeopardized their position on reserves as the Board for the Protection of Aborigines questioned their right to government assistance, as well as repatriations. They turned to letter writing in order to assert their rights.
With a focus on Aboriginal agency, Jessica Horton in her talk Willing to Fight a Man, explores what these letters (including those from the forbearers of the celebrated soldier, Reginald Saunders) tell us of the Aboriginal experience during the war and the persistent efforts of Indigenous Victorians to combat racism and to assert their rights.
Details
Date: Friday, 12 September 2014
Time: 12:30- 1:30pm
Venue: Mitchell Theatre Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney
Find out more on the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts website here.
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