To achieve this, Shivadhya trained very hard at home every day for months to get the strength and stamina.

Remembrance Day Chapter 2 – Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this article contains images of deceased persons.

Coming now to the era of the Second World War, conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hadn’t changed much, with limited access to education, civil liberties and employment opportunities. These restrictions were even in place for those Aboriginal peoples recruiting for military duty, despite many wanting to fight for their country.

When Japan advanced upon the northern parts of Australia in 1942, there was some apprehension that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would make alliances with the opposing forces to break away from the oppression of white rule, especially as there had been contact with Japanese pearlers prior to war breaking out. These fears would be alleviated however, by the overwhelming number of Indigenous Australians who took up arms to fight for the country’s defence.

The frustrations and the obstacles that the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have had to endure, and yet still stand resolute as a people, is a wonderful reminder of resilience in the face of adversity. The Bible tells us that despite the hardships of life, we can be assured that ‘’in [Jesus] [we] will have peace. In the world [we] will have tribulation. But take heart; [he] has overcome the world,’’ (John 16:33, ESV).

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was under heavy pressure to maintain their number of fighting personnel and were less discriminatory than the Army when it came to recruiting. Although not much is known of the Aboriginal personnel in the RAAF (nor the Royal Australian Navy), some current research is shedding light on certain individuals who served, such as Leonard Waters, the first Australian Aboriginal to pilot a plane in combat.

Born in 1924 on the Euraba Aboriginal Mission, Leonard Waters was one of 11 children. Len, as he was known, developed a fascination with aviation from a young age, listening with admiration to news of the exploits of Charles Kingsford-Smith and Amy Johnson. Favourite stories were those of Biggles, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, keeping, as he said, ‘his head in the clouds’, from childhood.

Waters left school before his 14th birthday to support his family, and he worked as a shearer before volunteering for service in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1942. Desperate for manpower to support the air war in Europe and the Pacific, the RAAF’s rules regarding Indigenous Australian enlistment were far less restrictive than those for the Second Australian Imperial Force.

Waters was initially trained as an aircraft mechanic but dreamed of becoming a pilot like his childhood heroes. His application was accepted in 1943 and he undertook training across New South Wales before graduating as a pilot in 1944.

Later that year Waters was posted to No. 78 Squadron, which was stationed on the island of Noemfoor off Dutch New Guinea. He flew on more than 90 missions from here over the next year and later flew from air bases in Borneo. On one flight his aircraft, named by Waters as ‘Black Magic’, was struck by a Japanese 37-millimetre cannon shell, which wedged itself in the cockpit without detonating. Waters flew for another two hours before landing safely with the shell still intact.

At the end of the war, Waters was discharged from the RAAF as a Warrant Officer. He returned to Queensland and never flew again. He hoped to start a regional airline but was unable to secure financial or government support, and soon returned to his pre-war life of shearing to provide for his wife and six children. He died in 1993, aged 69.

Following his death, Leonard Waters has been acknowledged in several ways, such as a newly named suburb and street, the construction of a monument and the production of a stamp, amongst other commemorative deeds, in recognition of his service to this country.

Lest we forget. 

Matt Mackay 

HASS Coordinator 

Bibliography: 

Australian Government. Leonard Waters in Australian War Memorial <<https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/memorial-boxes/3/online-resources/waters>> (Retrieved from the World Wide Web, 27 October, 2020). 

Wikipedia contributors (30 August, 2020). Len Waters in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia << https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Waters#cite_note-High_Fliers-3>> (Retrieved from the World Wide Web, 27 October, 2020).

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Part-Time School Bus Driver Required

Uniform Shop 

All students MUST be in full Summer Uniform now. Please call the Front Office on 8396 2577 to book your appointment as there are limited times available.  Appointments are essential.

Alternatively, all clothing is available online. The NEW SPORTS clothing is a small make so you may like to order a larger size.

The NEW PE Uniform is Compulsory from Term 1 of 2021. The current Year 5’s will be exempt from buying the new Sport tops as they will be issued with a Year 6 class top early next year.

Parking Around The School

1. Parking out the front of the school- 
We are noticing a lot of parents parking in the front area of the school, walking to the single gate and dropping off, only to return to the car minutes later and reversing out into traffic. We understand the convenience but parking here and reversing out is stopping the flow of traffic from the drive through zone. We are asking that if you are walking your child onto our school grounds or collecting them in the afternoons, please use the back car park.

2. Keeping the car park entrance clear
As mentioned in a hand out, it is very important that you please do not park in the entrance to the back car park. If the drive through line is full, please wait with your left indicator flashing while on Nelson Road. When the line starts to move, then feel free to move into the drive through zone but please don't block the car park entrance.

3. Turning left only out of car parks and drive through
In peak times, when families wait and try to turn right onto Wright Road from the drive through, it again, slows the whole drive through down - often to a complete stop. We are asking kindly that you turn left only out the drive through onto Wright Road. 

4. Side gate reopened! 
We have cleared the temporary storage near the Front Office and are happy to open this walkway again to allow an alternative entrance, rather than going through the Front Office.

Please remember the current restrictions still in place (No adults entering classrooms unless you sign on in the Front Office).

We hope to continue to develop the parking around the school so it runs as smoothly as possible. 

Daily Health Check