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Behind the Lines

Frontier Wars

A boy and his grandpa stand in front of a mound with an Aboriginal flag and bunch of flowers. The boy asks, 'Pop! Why did you bring me out here with a flag and flowers? There is a war memorial in town'. His grandpa replies, 'This is where they stood and fought a big frontier war and there is no memorial for them.'

Danny Eastwood
3 May 2023

Danny Eastwood points out that those wishing to mourn First Nations people who died fighting in frontier wars during the colonial era, and to learn about this history, are currently unable to see a dedicated display about these key conflicts in the Australian War Memorial. In 2023 the new chair of the Memorial’s board, the Hon Kim Beazley AC, said it was ‘enormously important’ to include a display about frontier wars in the Memorial’s current $550-million renovation project.

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