Tony Bani

I’m a proud Zenadth Kes Islander from Wagadagam. My tribal totem is Koedal (crocodile), our tribal wind is the Kuki Guuba (Northwest Wind), and my tribal tongue is ‘Mabuiag’ which is a dialect of the Kala Lagaw Ya, the Western Island language. I speak my native tongue ‘Kala Lagaw Ya’ as my first language, Torres Strait Creole my second, and English is my third language. I grew up on Thursday Island, Bamaga and Mabuiag Island. I enjoy the island life of fishing, reef walks and hunting, culture and listening to elders telling stories, as well as diving with Uncle and brothers. I attended early schooling in Bamaga and Mabuiag Island and did my high school on Thursday Island and later in Cairns at St Augustine College. When I left school, I went back home and worked as a cray fisherman, an apprentice chef for a time and then a mechanic’s assistant for about two years in Mabuiag before becoming a Community Police Officer between 1994 and 1996, then a relieving Police Liaison Officer on Thursday Island.

I decided to challenge myself and joined up with 51st Battalion, Charlie Company, Army Reserve from 1995 to 2006. Operation Kangaroo in ’95 was an eye-opener. Joining the Army was a must, as four of my Grandfathers all signed up for WW2. My brother was also in the Army Reserve and went to Hawaii because they won the Military Skill Competition in the early 90s. We were the first group to perform the famous Sarpeye Dance at the Blessing of Base back in the early 2000s.

The highlight of my service was on 28 May 2000, when we attended the Corroboree 2000 for the Passing of the Reconciliation Document. Almost 250,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to show their support for reconciliation between Australia’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. It’s one of the biggest demonstrations of public support for a cause that has ever taken place in Australia. Due to a bad knee injury, I went non-Active around mid-2006 – still miss it, keen to get back as a Cultural Recruiting Officer or Cultural Advisor.