| Inscription |
In honour of Captain REGINALD SAUNDERS
born in 1920, who grew up in the Portland
district and joined the Australian Army during
World War II as a private. In 1944 he became
the first Aborigine to be commissioned as an
officer.
Captain Reginald Walter 'Reg' Saunders
Reginald Walter Saunders, known as Reg, was the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer
in the Australian army. The son of a First World War veteran, Saunders was born in western Victoria on 4
August 1920 and brought up by his grandmother at the Lake Condah Aboriginal Mission. Growing up, Reg
was a keen footballer, boxer and cricket player.
On 24 April 1940 Reg enlisted in the AIF. He became a well respected soldier and leader during World War 2,
serving in the second AIF (2/7th Battalion of the 6th Australian Division), the Battle of 42nd Street, Salamaua
campaign, the Korean War and the battle of Kapyong.
In 1954 Reg left the army and moved to Sydney where he worked for the Austral Bronze Company. As a proud
Gunditjmara man he was a leader and role model as he advocated for Aboriginal rights. In 1967 he joined the
Office of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra as a liaison and public relations officer. Reg's work with Aboriginal
communities, schools and the government was recognised in 1971 when he was awarded a Member of the
British Empire (MBE). He remained in Canberra, where in 1985 he joined the council of the Australian War
Memorial. Reg died on 2 Mach 1990 and his ashes are scattered at Lake Condah. |
