Introduction

We are a small team of volunteers located in Tumut, NSW, at the foot of the beautiful Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. We commenced research for our project over two years ago and have, since that time, been reading and researching the history of the Veterans of Indigenous Nations, Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Wartime Workers. 

During that time, we found it difficult to locate information about Indigenous service in our armed forces. To establish boundaries, we utilised the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Census information, which provided us with an idea of how many of these men and women have been identified by their race as having served in the Defence Forces. 

The decision for our boundaries was a simple one. Those who enlisted, served, volunteered, worked and assisted our armed forces. The decision to include Papua New Guinea was simple, as they were still part of our nation during WWII, and their Infantry Battalions fought alongside our men and women. The wartime workers for the government have little or no records of their service, but without them, roads, airstrips and vital work could not have been done. Coastwatchers played a crucial role in WWII and saved many lives during that conflict.

We were aware of the repositories that hold information and of the program operated by the Australian War Memorial. Our team met with Mr Michael Bell to discuss our project and to offer assistance to him through our project. 

It became obvious that our website needed to be simple, culturally sensitive and not seen as a duplication of what had already been done.  What was obvious was the amount that had been done, but the difficulty in where to find it and at what cost. The cost factor was crucial as we were all volunteers and had to fundraise for every penny we needed.

Our local library became our base as a plethora of books arrived from all over Australia for us to read. Which we did, and sometimes got them back a second time because we ran out of loan time.

So here we are now, March 2025. Our website was launched only because the Commonwealth Bank Indigenous Banking Unit saw the historical, cultural and personal significance of the project. They have sponsored us for the website build and have given us the start we needed. 

From here, we will research and reach out through our Indigenous Land Councils to find the stories that have not yet been told, and maybe find some additional men and women to put on the lists available. 

We will acknowledge every person who has contributed to the Indigenous Defence history and ensure that others can locate their research and results through our site.

We will start our project with the Wiradjuri nation and have set our goals for completion in February 2026. At the same time, we have a Torres Strait Elder in Cairns working with us to find the stories of his nation's men and women and what they have contributed to our country.

We have been lucky to have recruited a very passionate lady in Brisbane who has commenced research for us on the Papuan New Guinea forces in WWII. 

We need to recruit more volunteers to assist us with the other Indigenous Nations across our country, as this project will be ongoing for years to remain a credible source for all.

Team Snowy Valley’s Heroes Inc.