Gordon Syron discusses his family’s history of service. Three of his uncles served during the First World War with one killed in France. Two of Gordon’s brothers fought in the Second World War, and another served in the Navy during the Korean War aboard HMAS Condamine. Other family members served in other conflicts involving Australia including the Vietnam War. Gordon touches only lightly on the details of these men’s service, but does link their experiences as soldiers in war with his own experiences with land issues regarding his family’s farm, his time in prison and his experiences as a boxer, all of which he does discuss in the interview. The presentation of war in Gordon’s artwork is also linked to his uncle’s and brother’s history of service.

This interview took place on 21 March 2014 in Sydney and was conducted by Professor Mick Dodson and Professor John Maynard with 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), Gordon Syron. 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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