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Raukkan Aboriginal Community War MemorialPrint Page 
The monument commemorates Ngarrindjeri men and women who served in the various conflicts in which Australia has been involved.
The names of those who fought in both World Wars and the Korean and Vietnam wars are being set on a new memorial wall in the park at the corner of Seymour Street and Rigney Crescent.
The memorial will star at an Anzac Day service tomorrow - the first of its kind at Raukkan, according to community council executive officer Steve Sumner. "I think it's also the first in any Aboriginal community in Australia," he said."We were hoping to have 20 (people) but it looks like there's going to be hundreds. It's one of the most exciting things to happen here in a long time."
Mr Sumner said the names of all Ngarrindjeri men and women who enlisted would soon go on the wall, which also features a mosaic of the Raukkan logo made by local artist Kevin Kropinyeri. He said the war memorial acknowledged the unwritten sacrifice Ngarrindjeri service-people made when they went to war. "When we talk about the Ngarrindjeri Anzacs, no one knows anything," he said. "They weren't citizens - when they were enlisted they got their citizenship and when they came back (from war) they were deregistered as citizens. We had the largest number of Aboriginal men go to war per capita from the community in its time."
He said the only memorials to the service-people were a commemorative plaque and stained-glass window in the church.
"What we wanted was a reflection spot, it's important to remember this story," he said. "There's so much negativity around our people, the communities, the services, but they fail to reflect that it's important that these people weren't citizens and they put everything aside to go and fight for a country that rejected them."
Ms Shaw, known to many as Aunty Dot, said the memorial would unite the community. "The majority of the names on there are my ancestors," she said. "To see something like this, it's special. I reckon I could come here every day and sit and look at it."
The Murray Valley Standard (SA), 24 April 2014.
Note: As of 8 March 2019, only the names of those who served in World War One are located on the memorial.
Location
| Address: | Seymour & Lealinyeri Streets, Raukkan Aboriginal Community, 5259 |
|---|---|
| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.507112 Long: 139.132415 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW1 |
| Artist: | Kevin Kropinyeri (artist- Raukkan logo) |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 25th April, 2014 |
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Lest We Forget
First World War
1914 - 1918
[ Names ]
