Honouring the Warrior Spirit of First Nations Defence Force personnel in service to nation and Country.
Priced at $285 per copy, the Serving Country book is an impressive, high-quality 619-page volume, measuring 375 mm x 285 mm and weighing 6.2 kg. Each double-page spread features a different participant with their compelling black-and-white portrait on one side and their service details, awards, and personal narrative on the other.
The production of the Serving Country book was funded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs through the Saluting Their Service Grants Program.
The 311 participants featured, from all States and Territories of Australia, include veterans and serving members of the Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force. Among them are current and former Elders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, members of the Army’s Regional Force Surveillance Group, and graduates of the Indigenous Development Programs of the three services. Collectively, their service spans the many conflicts, active operations, and peacekeeping missions in which the Australian Defence Force has participated from World War Two to the present day.
Serving Country is the result of a ten-year journey undertaken by Belinda Mason OAM, who travelled across Australia to photograph and document the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans. The exhibitions of the artworks created are supported by MUTTI, a cultural organisation that provides a platform for truth-telling through art and lived experience. The exhibition and the book would not have been possible without the guidance and support of each participant, who has generously shared their personal stories of service to nation and Country.
Cover view:
Roy Mundine OAM,
Inaugural Indigenous Elder of the Australian Army
Below is an excerpt from the foreword of the book written by General the Honourable David Hurley AC, DSC (Retd), former Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia:
“Serving Country puts the spotlight on that significant contribution and will serve a dual role: a collection of art and a means of education for younger generations. It also highlights the power of art to open our minds and broaden our understanding. The portraits and narratives of First Nations servicemen and women provide a window to stories of mateship, sacrifice, courage and endurance. It is through seeking to learn that we can create better understandings of our shared history."
Page view: Lorraine Hatton OAM, Indigenous Elder of the Australian Army
First Nations Australians have had a long and proud history of serving in the defence of our country from the frontier wars until today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have served our nation for more than a century—from South Africa and Gallipoli, the trenches of Belgium and France, and the battlefields of Korea and Vietnam, to the rocky deserts of Afghanistan and on active operations and peacekeeping missions across the globe. Exact numbers are not known of how many First Nations Australian men and women served in the Australian defence forces, as official defence policy in the first half of the twentieth century was aimed at excluding the enlistment of persons “not substantially of European origin or descent”. That so many served at all at a time when they were denied the basic rights of citizenship is significant – a situation not fully corrected until the 1970s.
Page view: Flight Lieutenant Tjapukai Shaw, Royal Australian Air Force
The ‘Serving Country’ photographic exhibition serves to acknowledge and honour the valuable contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and servicewomen who have served or who are serving in the Australian Defence Force. The exhibition serves as a platform for the sharing of stories, both inspiring and devastating. Uncle Roy Mundine (whose image appears on the cover of the book above) is the Australian Army’s inaugural Indigenous Elder, an exhibition participant, and a long-time supporter of the project.
The exhibition continues to grow and now includes over 165 portraits on brushed steel panels, silk banners and 3D holographic lenticulars. There are now more than 480 images and stories accessible online on MUTTI’s website (click on the button below).
The artists, Belinda Mason OAM and Dieter Knierim, have worked closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs, City of Sydney, and Babana Men’s Group, travelling from Cairns to Perth, from Melbourne to Darwin, and to many small communities in between to photograph and record the personal narratives of the participants for the project. Serving Country has been exhibited nationally throughout Australia, from Community Centres and Libraries to Defence, Veterans, educational and corporate institutions and at major regional galleries. Serving Country portraits form part of the permanent collection of The National Maritime Museum.
You can view the portraits of over 480 participants and read their personal stories of commitment and service to the nation, their communities and to Country, here:
Page view: Able Seaman Boatswain’s Mate Kaibariki Milianga Doolah Tapera, Royal Australian Navy
MUTTI creates multi-media exhibitions, including Serving Country, which provide personal insights into the lived experience of people who are impacted by multiple discriminations or disadvantages. Their stories challenge audiences to reconsider any prejudices and misconceptions they may have and to first discover what is similar and familiar, enabling them to better understand diversity and difference. We ask you to open your hearts and minds to the participants of these projects, as they have not only exposed their bodies in being photographed but also their souls by expressing and sharing with you the most intimate of emotions and thoughts. The support and guidance of the participants of each exhibition have been critical to the integrity of the work.
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