Jack Alick Bond's service remembered 119 years on

Media release - Minister Wyatt

The Morrison Government is proudly supporting a project that delivers a memorial and plaque befitting of Jack Alick Bond’s service.

On this 119th anniversary of the end of the Boer War, one Trooper, Jack Alick Bond, is receiving full and proper recognition for his service, with the dedication of a memorial ensuring he no longer lies in an unmarked grave.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt, AM MP, said Jack Alick Bond, a Yuin man from Krawarree south of Braidwood in New South Wales, showed that even before Aboriginal people were counted as citizens, their contributions to Australia were significant.

"As a skilled horseman, tracker and marksman, Jack was a valuable member of the then-Colonial forces, serving two tours in the Boer War, and is currently the first known Aboriginal serviceman to earn a medal for military service in a foreign country,” Minister Wyatt said.

“While I’m sure his unit appreciated his distinguished service, it didn’t receive the wider recognition it deserves and, unfortunately on his passing, his grave was not appropriately marked.”

“Bringing stories like Jack’s to the front of public consciousness will help in the process of truth-telling to ensure the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to this nation, and the challenges faced over many years, are more fully known,”

“While not the only Aboriginal man to serve in the Boer War, Jack is emblematic of the proud service that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women have provided in the Australia’s armed forces for over 120 years. It is a legacy that continues today.”

Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency, Ray Griggs AO CSC, attended the dedication ceremony and thanked Peter Bakker, who discovered Jack’s grave in the Botany Cemetery Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Pastor Ray Minniecon and everyone involved with the Jack Alick Bond Memorial Grave Committee for their tireless efforts in recognising this incredible Australian in a manner he deserves.

Lest we forget.