Vernice Gillies discusses her Great Uncle Jack’s World War 2 service in New Guinea, which included being taken prisoner by the Japanese. She speaks about the impact his service had upon his later life and on the family more generally. Vernice also talks about the service Aborigines provided at home during the war by keeping farms going which kept the troops fed, and about the conflict between intensive farming and land clearing and the need to care for land. Vernice also talks about her father’s experience with Italian internees during the war, and about her mother’s stolen generation story. The interview concludes with Vernice explaining her feelings about the newly constructed Albany World War 1 memorial and Anzac Day.

This interview took place on 1 September 2015 in Albany and was conducted by Dr Allison Cadzow and Dr Mary Anne Jebb as part of the Australian Research Council-funded research project Serving our Country: a history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the defence of Australia.

The interview recording above is made available to be viewed here by permission of the interviewee(s), Vernice Gillies. The recording may not be copied, reproduced or communicated in whole or in part without the prior permission of the interviewee(s). Requests for permission for use of this material should be made to the Serving our Country research project: our contact details.

• Return to Vernice Gillies’ participant page.