Photograph by Dieter Knierim 2024, inkjet on brushed aluminium 60cm x 40cm
Clan – Tig Dauareb and Meriam Samsep (Father) & Darnley Island (Mother)
My father’s totems are the green sea turtle, man-o-war hawk, tiger shark and Torres Strait pigeon and pelican on my mother’s side
Seaman
Royal Australian Navy
“Everybody will face challenges, but if you put effort into every single day, you will overcome them.”
I was born in Canberra, ACT in 1999 and moved to Cairns in 2004. In 2016, I graduated from Year 12 at Trinity Bay High School, and half a year later, I started working as an apprentice shipwright on the Torres Strait pearling luggers, Antonia, Triton and Stephen Davies. I enjoyed the work and being at sea but I wanted to do something different – yet similar. So, in February 2024, I enlisted, and my career in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) began. A lot of the knowledge I had transferred over really well. I am still at the beginning of my journey, but I’m keen to see where this career will lead me.
My goal is to be placed in a position in the Navy that allows me to go back to Cairns and help recruit Indigenous Australians into the Australian Defence Force. In this role, I can be a point of cultural connection between the RAN and the Indigenous people of our country.
