Aboriginals still fighting for justice

Like other indigenous families, the Lovetts sent their sons to war but were thrown off their own land when they returned

Herbert Lovett, a proud Aboriginal man, fought for his country in two world wars, as did three of his brothers. But when he returned home, he was barred from the land he had traditionally owned – and forced to watch as it was divided up among white veterans. Of the many injustices he endured, this is the one that rankles most with Herbert's son, Johnny. "He gave so much and got so little in return," says Mr Lovett, 64.

The shabby treatment by Australia of its indigenous soldiers – who volunteered to fight abroad despite not being recognised as citizens at home – is keenly felt by his family. The Lovetts, from rural Victoria, have a military record unrivalled throughout the Commonwealth, with 21 of them having served in theatres of war, including Japan, Korea and Vietnam, and all having survived.

Now Johnny Lovett is battling to persuade the government to rectify what he calls a "very big moral wrong". He wants compensation for the land on which others grew rich, and for the opportunities that his family – condemned to a life of grinding poverty – missed out on.

Nearly 70 years after the Second World War, Australia has yet to recognise fully the contribution of Aboriginal servicemen and women to the nation's defence. An estimated 4,500 are believed to have fought in the two world wars, yet their names are missing from the memorials found in nearly every city and country town, and from the history books.

Not only were they denied veterans' benefits and excluded from the "soldier settlement" scheme, under which blocks of land were made available for demobilised soldiers to buy or lease, but on their return from war they faced the same discrimination meted out before they joined up. They still could not vote, or buy property, or marry non-Aborigines. They were not allowed to drink in pubs, and were turned away by veterans' clubs.

The Lovetts, who belong to the Gunditjmara language group, come from the Lake Condah area of Victoria – land that was theirs before Australia was colonised. They fought a 22-year war against white settlers, gaining a notoriety that led to them being dubbed the "fighting Gunditjmara". Later, the Aborigines of the area were confined to a mission by colonial authorities, who drained the lake.

It may seem paradoxical that, having lost their land, the Lovetts subsequently volunteered to fight on behalf of those who had taken it. But Johnny Lovett says of his father, who grew up on the mission: "By then, Dad considered Australia as being his country, and if there was a threat to his country, he had to join forces with non-Aboriginal people to defend it."

Herbert and four of his brothers – Edward, Leonard, Frederick and Alfred – fought in the First World War. Herbert was a machine gunner on the Western Front. When the Second World War broke out, they all – apart from Alfred, who was too old – enlisted again, and were joined by their younger brother, Samuel.

Afterwards, hearing that the Lake Condah mission was to be divided up for soldier settlement, Herbert applied to the Victorian government for a block of land. "He never received a response," says Peter Seidel, a Melbourne lawyer who has taken up Johnny Lovett's case. "He had to work on other people's farms to support his family. The injustice in that is incredible."

Mr Seidel is preparing a submission to the federal Department of Veterans' Affairs, arguing that the Lovett family deserves compensation. He notes that Herbert was able to join up in 1917 only because he had some white blood – then he was denied land because of his Aboriginality. "On any view, that is a very sad indictment on the state of Australian race relations over the period of two world wars."

In the army, says Johnny Lovett, his father "experienced an equality that he didn't experience in civilian life ... When he came back from the war, he was back to being black". The brothers were even refused service in the Lake Condah pub, having turned up in uniform – although, according to family lore, they proceeded to eject the barman, lock the door, drink their fill, then shoot the remaining bottles.

The Lovetts were among several Lake Condah families that sent dozens of their young men – and some women – to war. The army's first indigenous officer, Captain Reg Saunders, came from the area. Scandalously, Aboriginal recruits were given only a third of the regular pay, while some received nothing but a few sticks of tobacco. When Frederick Lovett, Herbert's brother, returned home, he lived in a tent with his family, having also failed to secure a block of land.

Some things have changed. Aboriginal people finally became citizens in 1967. In 2000, the Canberra office block housing the Department of Veterans' Affairs was renamed the Lovett Tower, acknowledging the family's extraordinary contribution.

But it was not until 2007 that nationwide ceremonies were held to honour Aboriginal veterans, who still have no war memorial. On Anzac Day, when Australia remembers its war dead, some indigenous old soldiers hold separate marches.

Meanwhile, the Lovetts continue to distinguish themselves. Johnny Lovett was one of four men who fought a successful court action to secure "native title" over Gunditjmara traditional lands, where they can now hunt and fish. Iris Lovett-Gardiner, Frederick's daughter, was awarded a doctorate in her seventies for a thesis on the Lake Condah mission. Nathan Lovett-Murray is a professional Australian rules footballer. Ricky Morris, Frederick's grandson, served with Australian peacekeeping troops in East Timor.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Lake Como and the Bernina Express
Seven nights half-board from £749pp Find out more
Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast
Seven nights half-board from only £859pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from only £199pp Find out more
 
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Change Manager,Hampshire,Telecomms,SC Clear,£200PD

Negotiable: Orgtel: Change Manager, Hampshire, Telecomms, SC Cleared, £200 per...

Senior/Principal Ecologist

£26000 - £33000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...

Programme Change Manager

£850 - £1000 per day: Orgtel: Programme Change Manager - Banking - London - £8...

Procurement/ Sub Contracts Manager - Petrochemical

£35000 - £55000 per annum + Bonus & Relocation: Progressive Recruitment: Our c...

Day In a Page

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong': The true effect of the badger cull

The true effect of the badger cull

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong'
Theatre review: Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's The Cripple of Inishmaan

First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan

Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's comedy
Girls Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

After 103 years, organisation changes oath to welcome 'all girls, of all faiths, and none'
Steve Tongue: Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago

Steve Tongue

Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago
Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Bradley Wiggins' exit

Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Wiggins' exit

Sky's lead rider says he is in fantastic form for the Tour and happy pecking order debate is over
Hannah England: I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess

Hannah England: Keeping Track

I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess
Beards, brawn and body art

Beards, brawn and body art

Meet London’s new batch of male models
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?

The Great Green Wall of Africa,

Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
Laughter Inc: the cheering growth of the chuckle industry

Laughter Inc

The cheering growth of the chuckle industry
The bad science scandal: how fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research

The bad science scandal

How fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research
To the manor born: The female aristocrats battling to inherit the title

Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title

A passionate protest is gathering pace among the women of Britain's aristocracy, who believe that men should no longer automatically inherit the family pile and title.
Love struck: Photographs of JFK's visit to Berlin 50 years ago reveal a nation instantly smitten

In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963

Photographer Ulrich Mack accompanied Kennedy on the entire trip. The results are an astonishing record of a watershed moment.
Eat shoots and leaves: Mark Hix gets creative with fresh peas, mangetouts and sugar snaps

Mark Hix gets creative with English peas

English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
Ceviche with a smile: Chef Martin Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends

Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile

Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends