It is a real honour to be here to do so many things today but, amongst other things, to help celebrate the birthday of Uncle Seaman Dan who will later on today sing us the national anthem.
Today, we remember World War Two and all who served in that dreadful conflict.
In particular, we remember all who suffered and all who served here in the Torres Strait.
It’s almost unknown to Australians but, in fact, after Darwin, Horn Island was the most bombed and the most savagely attacked part of our country.
In 1942 there were eight Japanese air raids on Horn Island. More than 500 bombs were dropped. One hundred and fifty six people were killed.
As well as the attacks on Horn Island, there were Japanese attacks on many of the northern islands and the families and the populations were forced to disperse and live out the war in miserable conditions while their menfolk were away.
The remarkable thing about the war in the Torres Strait is the extraordinary commitment to Australia shown by these people, shown by people who hadn't always been shown respect and courtesy by the country they served.
More than 1,100 men of the Torres Strait volunteered to serve in the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion. As a proportion of population, no part of Australia volunteered to serve at the same rate as Torres Strait Islanders volunteered to serve.
If volunteering to serve is the ultimate mark of commitment to country and patriotism, no part of Australia has been more patriotically Australian than the Torres Strait and its citizens.
It is a remarkable fact that at a time when we hardly acknowledged Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australians acknowledged us.
It is a remarkable fact that at a time when Indigenous people were not even counted in the census, Australia could count on Indigenous people.
We all know that many mistakes were made in those days. People weren't properly paid; people weren't properly treated.
But while the members, the soldiers of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion were not always treated with honour, they all served with honour and today, we salute them.
We particularly salute the three veterans amongst us – Mabai Warasum, Bamia Mast and Palm Stephen. We salute you.
Of course, there were many lessons from those times.
The men of the Torres Strait Islands learnt to appreciate their unity as well as their differences.
The people of Australia – black and white – learnt to appreciate our unity as well as our differences.
Partly, as a result of the experiences of war, partly as a result of the pressures of war, there was less ‘them and us’ and more ‘we the people’.
That is the spirit which our nation must always embody.
The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was disbanded in 1946 but the spirit of service – the spirit of duty and service – lives on here in the Torres Strait through the 51st Battalion of the Far North Queensland Regiment.
These days, all Australians, regardless of their colour, serve together in the armed forces – the same work, the same pay and the same camaraderie.
It is a wonderful thing that the grandchildren of Mabai Warasum and Bamia Mast are today serving in the 51st Battalion of the Far North Queensland Regiment. We salute their service, too.
It is also a remarkable thing that today we have heard from Palm Stephen. For so many years, Palm Stephen was the forgotten veteran. He was the man who knew he served but whose service was not acknowledged by the army. The army was not able to find him because in order to volunteer at the age of 15, after being knocked back once, he had made subtle changes to his identity, subtle changes to his place of birth and the army insisted that this gentleman did not exist.
Well, we have found him and today we salute him. We found him because of the marvellous sleuthing detective work of your Local Member, Warren Entsch, who we also salute and thank today.
So, today, we remember those heroes.
We remember that great generation.
We remember those whose lives were marked by duty and service and we resolve to be in our time what they were in theirs.
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