historical

Australian War Stories ALL SIGNED UP William Thomas EXTON signed-up to join the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at the Brisbane QLD recruitment office. William duly completed the AIF enlistment form – called the ‘Attestation Paper’. He confirmed his age, occupation, and marital status and noted that his home was in New South Wales. William advised that his next of kin was ‘(Wife) Exton Eva’. On the second page of the Attestation Paper he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, William Thomas EXTON … swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” William was assigned the AIF service number 3162 which would appear on his active service and medical records. Source: memories.net/timeline/williamthomas-exton-49793

Australian War Stories FIT FOR ACTIVE SERVICE Like all new recruits William underwent a thorough medical examination. He was found to be free of a wide range of conditions that would “unfit him for the duties of a soldier”. Nor did he bear the tattooed letters D or BC, with which the British Army marked deserters and those of “bad character”. The Examining Medical Officer stated that William: “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service”. Source: memories.net/timeline/williamthomas-exton-49793

Australian War Stories TRAINING BEGINS William was issued with his uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet. Source: memories.net/timeline/williamthomas-exton-49793

The I Do! Wedding Stories from Queensland exhibition at the Queensland Museum is featuring never heard before stories from Djunngaal Elders and Yarrabah community members. The exhibition features a mission style basket and commissioned wedding dress designed in partnership with Djunngaal Elders, Gunggandji descendantand Yarrabah artist Simone Arnol and Cape York Peninsula, Umpila, Djabuguy, Yirrganydji man, Bernard Singleton. With strong roots in Yarrabah and over 20 years working in Indigenous law and Native Title, Arnol has been part of the arts and fashion industry for five years. "I use strong connection to family and Country as a foundation to all my works, always keeping it grassroots while respecting the Elders, our keepers of knowledge," Arnol told NIT. She said what started out as an artistic commission of, "a perspective of Indigenous weddings for a traditional wedding ceremony" soon turned into a 12-month long process of storytelling the Yarrabah Elders narrative. "Soon into consultation with the Elders of Yarrabah we found that there was a more important story to be re-told," Arnol said. The story in question would instead shed light into the dark history of prior policies of forced protection and assimilation and how this affected cultural traditions and lore. "The girls and boys when they fell in loveâ€"they couldn't come out of the dorm in the yard to be with their boyfriend or husband ... they had to stay behind the fence," Granny Hope said. "The girls were inside the fence, [while] the boys were outside the fence." In many cases mob weren't afforded the privilege of marrying someone they loved, however this wasn't the only restriction they faced. "This impacted harshly on them as it included separate education for Aboriginal children, town curfews, alcohol bans, no social security, lower wages, State guardianship of all Aboriginal children," Arnol said. "Laws that segregated Indigenous people into separate living areas, mainly on missions, special reserves outside towns or in remote areas." That's why when first asked to do the commission, Arnol was quick to establish the true purpose. "Everything we do is a voice for our Elders ... It is not going to be a pretty dress." Source: nit.com.au/09-11-2020/1512/aboriginal-designed-wedding-dr...

: Annual sports days have been featured in Yarrabah in north Queensland since the Church of England established the mission in 1892. From at least 1917, sports have been held to commemorate the mission’s birthday and are tinged with religious associations. The foundation sports day competitions themselves include a mixture of footraces, quaint recreational activities, and traditional Aboriginal events such as fire lighting and spear throwing. Imposed on inmates of the mission as a colonial event, they are embraced by residents and celebrated as the ‘Pride of Yarrabah’. On 17 June 1892, Reverend John Brown Gribble established the Yarrabah Mission (initially called Bellenden Ker after a nearby mountain range) on behalf of the Church of England, 16 kilometers by sea and, today, 60 kilometers by road from Cairns in north Queensland. Sports days in Yarrabah, documented since 1895, have been central to foundation commemorations since at least 1917. These annual events have included myriad activities, as indicated in a church report (Northern Churchman, 1 August 1941, p. 16): There were races to suit every taste – long-distance, flat races for those who liked hard work, thread the needle, book races, boomerang and mirral [woomera] throwing, etc. for those who prefer testing their skill: a lemon race for those clean folk who are fond of washing their faces; for the adventurous ones, there was a greasy pole to be climbed. Aquatic events such as boat races have disappeared from the contemporary program, but foot races, traditional Aboriginal activities, and novelty competitions continue. Local Aboriginal man, Darren Miller, argued that the annual sports day represented more than just sports, but was ‘a day of existence’. Miller was referring not only to the celebration of Yarrabah’s founding, but also its continued existence as a proud, Aboriginal community. Source: espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_6e87ff4/Yarrabah_sports_...