New exhibition explores military service from the perspective of Australian First Nations Peoples

18 November 2019

For Country, for Nation opens at Tweed Regional Gallery

Visitors to the Tweed Regional Gallery will have the opportunity to view the Australian War Memorial exhibition For Country, for Nation, the first exhibition from the Memorial dedicated exclusively to exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories of military service.

The landmark exhibition features 48 works of art by more than 30 artists, including new works commissioned by the Memorial especially for the exhibition.

Memorial Director, Dr Brendan Nelson said For Country, for Nation is one of the most significant exhibitions developed by the Memorial in recent times.

“It is hard for non-Indigenous Australians to imagine the world as Indigenous Australians saw it, but we must. They have served in every conflict this country has engaged in and they continue to do so with pride and professionalism, which is nothing short of inspiring. This exhibition is an opportunity to honour their service,” Dr Nelson said.

Tweed Regional Gallery Director, Ms Susi Muddiman OAM said: “We are proud to bring this powerful and nationally-significant exhibition to the region. The exhibition recognises the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their valuable and selfless military service. It is a story that is little known, but one that deserves to be told.”

Suzanne Myers, acting Head of Exhibitions at the Australian War Memorial said For Country, for Nation will guide visitors through six different themes designed to tell the story of Australia’s Indigenous service history.

“Unlike other exhibitions at the Memorial, the stories will be told from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with many shared through first-person voice,” Ms Myers said.

The exhibition will be officially opened at Tweed Regional Gallery on Friday 29 November at 6.00pm DST with guest speakers Uncle Victor Slockee, a Vietnam Veteran, and Laura Webster, Head of Art, Australian War Memorial. At 5.15pm, Michael Bell, a Ngunnawal/Gomeroi man and Australian War Memorial Indigenous Liaison Officer, will be hosting a preview talk of the exhibition.

For Country, for Nation has been assisted by the Australian Government's Visions of Australia program; and we also kindly acknowledge the support of International Arts Services Australia.

The exhibition continues until 9 February 2020.

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Downloads

Photo 1(JPG, 146KB)

Caption: A young Reg Saunders surrounded by his mates of the 2/7th Battalion, AIF, in Queensland in 1943. 057894.

Photo 2(JPG, 139KB)

Caption: Tony Albert, Coloured Diggers, acrylic on canvas, painted in Sydney, 2013. ART96531.001-004.

Photo 3(JPG, 110KB)

Caption: Bronwyn Bancroft, Time marches on, Mixed media, Made in Balmain, New South Wales, 2010. ART94626, Images courtesy of the Australian War Memorial