Glen Stasiuk discusses his family history of service in the defence forces, particularly through the Farmer family. Two of the four Farmer brothers who fought in World War 1 were killed in action, while the fifth and youngest brother enlisted and served in World War 2. Glen speaks about the likely factors that motivated the Farmer brothers to enlist, the kinds of experiences they shared during service, and for those who came back, their experiences upon returning to the community. Glen also speaks about how the broader aboriginal veteran community in and around Perth and the surrounding regions, including the Farmer brothers, have come to be remembered and commemorated, and how that commemoration story has developed, particularly over recent years. Glen has done extensive research in this area and made a documentary film about Aboriginal service during the twentieth century entitled The Forgotten.

This interview took place on 1 September 2015 in Perth and was conducted by Professor Mick Dodson, Dr Noah Riseman and Mr Craig Greene 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), Glen Stasiuk. 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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