Laurel Williams speaks about the service of Indigenous men and women from around the NSW Central Coast area, including Forster, Coffs Harbour and Taree.
Working from a collection of photos, she speaks about family and wider community members who have served in all the major conflicts from World War 1 through to Afghanistan.
Describing the post-war life of her relatives who served in World War 2 in particular, Laurel recalls once going to the RSL club in Forster for lunch with her Uncle who served in New Guinea, where she was astounded to see him asked to produce a membership card, and she thought to herself ‘this man has fought in the war, has lived here all his life and here is this person really questioning [his right to enter the RSL] … and he wasn’t very happy, but he didn’t make a big deal … he just produced his membership badge and off we went in.’
Watch Laurel’s interview in Newcastle.
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Sources:
https://ourmobserved.anu.edu.au/yarn-ups/yarn-participants/laurel-williams
