Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Charles and Kate Cubby, of Toomelah Mission, Boggabilla, Queensland, Australia.

Two Aboriginal Brothers
Answer Call To Arms
Two full-blooded, aboriginal brothers—Bert and George Cubby— were in the A.I.F. draft which left Warwick yesterday. The men are from Toomelah Aboriginal Station, near  Boggabilla, and came to Warwick with a party formed in Goondiwindi. In the last war aboriginal enlistments were numerous, and officers and comrades, spoke highly of their  work, particularly in the Palestine campaign. The majority were born horsemen, and their natural ability as trackers, their inborn sense of direction, their keen-sightedness and  hardiness made them invaluable, as scouts in desert warfare. Bert Cubby is 37 and his brother 27. Aboriginal men from Boggabilla fought in the last war, and they intend to play  their part in the present conflict. In newspapers recently they saw photographs of men of their own race who joined the A.I.F., and decided that they also were needed in the Army.

DEATH OF LAST MALE FULL-BLOOD

The lase male full-blood aborigine in the Boggabilla district, Mr. Bertram Cubby, died in June in the Mungdindi Hospital.  Mr. Cubby, who was 62, was a returned serviceman.  He was a bachelor.  His father, King Bungo (Charlie) Cubby, was a tribal leader in the Urunga district.  One of his brothers, Mr. George Cubby, was killed while serving with the Army in 1943.  Another brother Charlie, lives at Mungindi, and a sister, Mrs. Lexie Prince, lives at Moree.   It is believed there is now only one full-blood left in the district, a woman who lives at Toomelah.