Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Memorial

The story and meaning behind the memorial to First Nations servicemen and service women.

Bringing the idea to life

On 27 May 2022, a dedicated memorial to Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women was unveiled in Brisbane’s Anzac Square.

Officially unveiled by the Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Lord Mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner, the sculpture is one of only a few memorials to Indigenous veterans in Australia, and was created to honour, respect and remember the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women of Queensland who have served and sacrificed their lives for our country.

Cast in bronze, the memorial features life-size figures standing on a ‘Journey Stone’. Navy, Army and Air Force are represented alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander warriors / dancers, depicting a story of embarkation from home via air, land and sea.

The memorial project was funded by Federal, State and Local governments as well as philanthropists and private sector organisations, working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dedicated Memorial Queensland Incorporated (ATSIDMQI) to represent past, present and future Indigenous service, and to bridge ‘the culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their contributions to our shared military history’.

The ATSIDQMI committee worked in partnership with Griffith University, empowering master sculptor Liam Hardy of Sculpt Studios with Indigenous artist and cultural advisor John Smith Gumbula to bring the memorial sculpture to life.

President and Chair of the ATSIDQMI committee, Australian Army veteran and Quandamooka Elder Aunty Lorraine Hatton OAM, noted that ‘Queensland being the only state that has Torres Strait Islander Peoples, is another reason the memorial is unique and truly, inclusively Indigenous.’

Documenting the project

Griffith Film School students documented the memorial project, from its conception and manufacture to unveiling.

Created by LiveLab at Griffith Film School. A short documentary 'Making the Anzac Square Indigenous veterans’ memorial', which explains how the memorial to Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans’ memorial in Anzac Square, was conceived and created, exploring the memorial's cultural and historical significance.

Making the Anzac Square Indigenous veterans’ memorial