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An artwork honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have served their country.
Artist: Tony Albert
Curator: Hetti Perkins
Curator: Hetti Perkins
“I envisage this memorial in Hyde Park to be a special and powerful place for contemplation and remembrance, a space for all our stories to be heard and recognised.”
– Tony Albert, 2014
Artwork description
Yininmadyemi, Thou didst let fall is a significant artwork by Aboriginal artist Tony Albert to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who served in the nation’s military.
The artwork is composed of 4 standing bullets and 3 fallen shells. The bullet is a universal signifier for conflict. The arrangement of the bullets, with some standing and some fallen, represents those who survived and those who were sacrificed.
The artwork also references the circumstances faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women when they returned to Australia. They were treated differently from their white Australian comrades who were given land for their service while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were still having their land taken away.
Hyde Park south was chosen as the location for the artwork due to its status and historical significance. The site was once a ritual contest ground, a crossroads for traditional walking trails and an important site for ceremony, gathering and camping. It is also home to the Anzac Memorial.
The artwork has the support of the Returned and Services League (NSW Branch) and the NSW Centenary of Anzac Advisory Council.
The City of Sydney acknowledges the continuing work of the Coloured Diggers, the Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association, and supports the Coloured Diggers march and commemorations.
Inscription
An inscription on the base of the southernmost fallen bullet reads as follows:
YININMADYEMI
Thou didst let fall
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People have always defended their country. Indigenous Australians are known to have served in the state colonial forces before Federation and have proudly carried on this tradition of service.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander diggers experienced the horror of war on the battlefield and many made the ultimate sacrifice. The sad reality for these veterans was that equality in the country they fought to defend remained a distant dream.
This memorial on the land of the Gadigal clan pays tribute to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have defended our country – the unsung heroes, our brothers and sisters, our mates.
We remember those fallen
We honour those standing
Thou didst let fall
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People have always defended their country. Indigenous Australians are known to have served in the state colonial forces before Federation and have proudly carried on this tradition of service.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander diggers experienced the horror of war on the battlefield and many made the ultimate sacrifice. The sad reality for these veterans was that equality in the country they fought to defend remained a distant dream.
This memorial on the land of the Gadigal clan pays tribute to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have defended our country – the unsung heroes, our brothers and sisters, our mates.
We remember those fallen
We honour those standing
Artist
Sydney-based Aboriginal Girramay artist Tony Albert’s family has over 80 years combined military service. The concept for the artwork comes from the artist, whose vision draws on the experiences of his family’s service in the Australian military.
Albert worked with Cracknell & Lonergan Architects who assisted in producing the artwork. Dr Anita Heiss, author of Life in Gadigal Country, also worked with the artist to write the inscription honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women that is engraved on the base of one of the fallen bullets.
Tony and the City of Sydney also acknowledge Trisha Albert, author of Unsung Heroes for her initial research on the story of Tony’s grandfather Eddie Albert. Eddie enlisted and served in the Australian Army during World War 2, and it is his story upon which Tony’s concept for the artwork is based.
