By Derek Schlennstedt
In 2006 Aunty Dot Peters and then president of the Healesville RSL, Sam Halim, held the first remembrance service to honour Indigenous servicemen and women.
The following year the remembrance services went Australia-wide and today all states in Australia host services to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait island servicemen and women.
In bringing about this change, Aunty Dot was instrumental.
Her campaigning for the recognition of Aboriginal soldiers was dedicated to her father, Vincent, who served in WWII and died a prisoner of war.
Due to being Aboriginal, his family, did not receive any soldier’s benefits, and his work went unrecognised.
“My father fought in the Middle East and on the way home was taken prisoner in Java,” she said.
“My brother Harry was 16 and like a lot of the boys they put their ages up to 18, so they could join the army – they were never the same when they came back.”
For 40 years, Aunty Dot has worked in promoting the need to recognise the contribution of Aboriginal people.
She said she began taking interest and voicing her concerns when she heard and saw how returning Aboriginal servicemen were treated.
“At hotels they wouldn’t be served or couldn’t get a beer, their children couldn’t go to certain schools.“
“When I heard what was going on, I suddenly thought something needs to be done about that.”
She then approached the Healesville RSL, where Sam Halim was president, about getting involved in Reconciliation Week, the last week in May – they accepted, and played a version of The Ode featuring a didgeridoo.
Aunty Dot said she was so glad that reconciliation week had been so widely accepted by Australians, and is hoping to include the rendition of The Ode with the didgeridoo in every RSL around Australia.
“To have started it off, I was surprised myself thinking about it; people must have listened to me to get it going,” she said.
“I’d like to see all RSLs do the same thing as Healesville RSL.“
The Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service will be held on Tuesday, 31 May, at 11am at the Shrine of Remembrance.
Sam Halim invites everyone to take part in the rememberance service, and buses will leave from Sanctuary House at 8.30am and run to the Shrine of Rememberance.
To book a spot, ring 5962 6550.
