It wasn’t what I expected.
I knew it was a going to be a lovely story about honouring our Indigenous Australians who served our country.
But little did I know that the story was much closer to home.
My great-great grandfather Harry Thorpe was honoured in one of the displays.
Harry was a corporal in World War One. He was wounded twice, once in the terrible fighting at the battle of Pozières. Then the following year he was wounded in action on the Hindenburg Line.
The plaque described him as a brave and distinguished soldier. It went on to say “He inspired those under him".
For this he was awarded the Military Medal “for bravery in the field".
He was from the Brabuwooloong people, born at Lake Tyers Mission in Victoria.
Harry led his men with courage and example until he was killed in action in the Second Battle of Somme in 1918.
He was buried in the large Heath Cemetery near Harbonnières, a few kilometres from where he fell.
But an even more special moment came when I was told Harry’s headstone was in the Aftermath Room of the World War One gallery – just up the stairs from where the exhibition was. I was completely taken aback.
It was quite surreal seeing his damaged stone – engraved was his rank and name along with his death date, ‘9 August 1918, aged 34.’
Nakari with her great great grandfather's headstone. Source: SBS
I felt an overwhelming feeling of pride and sorrow all at once.
His story and many others are part of a new exhibition unveiled today at the Australian War Memorial.
For Country, For Nation is dedicated to recognising the stories of Indigenous servicemen and women.
Uncle Harry Allie, a Kudjala elder from Queensland, is one of those honoured. He remembers serving as a Warrant Officer in the Air Force during the 1960s.
The toughest thing for him was being away from country.
"It was a sort of a heartbreak if you lined up on the mail parade and there wasn't a letter from home and particularly being away from home and these were the sorts of things that leaving community, your community is always in your heart."
The Indigenous men and women who served for Australia. (Australian War Memorial) Source: Australian War Memorial
And Uncle Des Mayo, from the Muram, Wadarman and Wave Hill groups, reminisced on his time serving in Malaya and Vietnam.
"The last day in Vietman they were going to send me out on patrol... they decided not to send us out there because we would've walked in the ambush so I'm lucky to be here today."
Uncle Des said he was thankful for the acknowledgement.
"I'm grateful they finally give us some recognition ... cause even today's society people said, 'Oh there wasn't many Aboriginal people that served in the army, you know', I said, 'I beg to differ that'."
It’s something that Australian War Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson says has been a long time coming.
"Only four or five generations after the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and all of the devastation that would mean for Indigenous Australians, with millenia of rich custodianship and culture, living in a desperately unequal Australia, denied the opportunity to serve, to fight for the young nation that had taken so much from them - they did everything they could to enlist."
Harry Thorpe (Australian War Memorial) Source: Australian War Memorial
“It's something our old people have fought for for a long time, to have this space, this recognition and just to be part of that and contribute to that is such a great honour."
Serviceman Uncle David Williams campaigned to have Indigenous service recognised for many years.
“We gotta do it together and I'm so glad I came here, I'm so glad ...”
And I felt grateful to be able to listen and share their moving stories while also discovering my own heritage.
The exhibition is open until September 2017.
