Steve Jones is the first known Aboriginal graduate of the Royal Military College (RMC) Duntroon. He believes that his time at RMC was very important in shaping his military career and in this interview he gives a detailed account of his extensive and varied work in the military over many years, where he travelled frequently and was promoted many times. For example, Steve served in Timor-Leste from June to December 2000 in a senior position and his final military role was as Australia’s Military Attache to the United Nations in New York. Steve talks about how he believes the culture of the Army, particularly being part of a team, matches well with Aboriginal culture and is why so many Aboriginal people are a ‘good fit’ for the Army. Steve says that he is now at a point in his life where it is time to ‘give back’, and wants to dedicate more of his time, skills and experience to working on Indigenous social issues where he can best add value and make a difference.

This interview took place on 18 November 2016 near Canberra and was conducted by Dr Noah Riseman 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), Steve Jones. 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 Steve Jones’ participant page.