Narelle Urquhart discusses the World War 2 service of her grandfather, Cecil Clayton, who was a ‘Rat of Tobruk’. She reads a poem, ‘The Black Rat’, written by her mother about Cecil and how he fought for the country but returned to neglect and rejection:

‘… He sold all his medals he once proudly wore, they were of no use to him anymore. Confused and alone he wandered around, looking for work, though none could be found … He fought for this land so he could be free, yet he could not vote after his desert melee. And those years in the desert they really took their toll, he went there quite young, and he came home so old …’

Narelle also discusses the stolen generations, how her family was subject to separation over a number of generations, how children were taken away and ‘broken’ including many of her uncles to Kinchela Boys Home, and how this has impacted on her family and their knowledge of shared history. Narelle speaks about how such circumstances and events led her to have little or no interest in ANZAC Day and similar commemoration for many years, but that now Indigenous service is being better recognised her attitude towards ANZAC Day has shifted somewhat, and in this regard she also speaks about her nephew wanting to join the air force.

This interview took place on 3 April 2014 in Beenleigh and was conducted by Professor Mick Dodson with Craig Greene as part of the Australian Research Council-funded 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), Narelle Urquhart. 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.

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