(Transcript from World News Radio)
NAIDOC Week celebrates indigenous contributions to Australia and the focus this year is on those who have served their country.
It includes a call to the Prime Minister for a national war memorial to indigenous service men and women.
Stefan Armbruster reports.
(Click on the audio tab to hear the full report)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders have served in Australia's armed forces since the 1860s but only now are they slowly being acknowledged.
Their story is being pieced together including at the Australian War Memorial where Gary Oakley is the indigenous liaison officer.
"It's been a secret history, most people don't know about Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander service in the Defence Force. We went away and served and came back to community and vanished."
Gary Oakley was appointed 2009 and in those five years has uncovered stories of hundreds of unknown Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander service men and women.
"Everybody thought there was not enough for us to talk about but now that research has been done in the last 10 years, it's not just one or two indigenous Australians who served, it's literally thousands, so the time is right to push for a national memorial."
On the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, this year's NAIDOC Week theme is Serving Country: Centenary & Beyond.
Anne Martin, whose great grandfather died in the First World War, is the co-chair of the National Naidoc Committee.
"We wanted the nation to know about the contribution of ATSI people and their role in defence of this country through out history, from the frontier wars onwards and I don't think it's been very well reflected in our history and it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to honour these people who have served our country and continue to serve our country."
The first recorded Aboriginal in uniform was Thomas Bungalene, who enlisted in the Victorian Navy 1863.
Since the Boer War, thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders have fought for Australia.
Hundreds paid the ultimate price for a country that once didn't even recognise them as citizens.
"When ANZAC Day came along you couldn't march and that skewed people's perception of how may indigenous Austrlaians served because they didn't see black faces marching on ANZAC Day."
South Australia last year became the first state to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander veterans with an official war memorial.
One is planned for Sydney and the Queensland government is next month expected to announce it will erect a memorial in Anzac Square in Brisbane.
Vern Hopkins served in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 and is co-chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander dedicated memorial committee of Queensland.
"Look, I've spoken to a number of vets and they're very excited there's going to be a memorial set up somewhere in Brisbane, ⦠and the non-indigenous brothers that I talk to, the veterans, they also support the concept too. We're not here to segregate from our brothers and sisters who we served with, we're here to have our people recognised who fought for this land, even though they were not recognised as the first people of the land."
There is no national memorial.
The Australian War Memorial's Gary Oakley has canvassed the issue with ministers and even spoke to the ACT authorities about locating one on ANZAC Parade in Canberra.
Ultimately, he says, it will be the decision of one person.
"It's the Prime Minister, national memorials can only be ticked by the Prime Minister."
Responsibility for the National NAIDOC Committee sits with the Prime Minister's office.
NAIDOC co-chair Anne Martin says Mr Abbott should take up the issue.
"I think it's time that we all step forward as a nation and redress this. It's a great opportunity and I would call upon the Australian government to take this into consideration."
The PM's office was unable to provide a response.
Australia's Indigenous veterans will be honoured with a Defence Department NAIDOC ceremony at the Australian War Memorial on Wednesday.
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