Skip to main content

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The Australian Government acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

#OneInAMillion

Culture and Capability
At left is head and shoulders shot of an elderly woman in blue jacket and top. At right are the words Gladys Waters. He would have landed on eggshells that day because he was that frightened. 75 Days, 75 Stories. #OneInAMillion

As we approach the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the #OneInAMillion: Wall of Respect project is an opportunity for Australians to highlight their relatives who served.

As we approach the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, it is an opportunity to remember the almost 1 million Australians who served in that conflict.

Many stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and service women have never been told.

Australians are invited to participate in the #OneInAMillion: Wall of Respect project by posting to their social media channels, where appropriate, an image of them holding a photo of a family member who served in World War II, with the hashtag #OneInAMillion.

Your photos of loved ones represent stories from a time when Australia was in crisis and ordinary people had to do extraordinary things.

They are stories like that of Len Waters, Australia’s first Aboriginal fighter pilot in World War 2.

His widow Gladys Water tells the story.

‘They had to go out flying — they were about three hours out from their camp, doing a clean-up. And this Jap shell landed up between Lenny and the back of his seat, with the fuel tank. He was terrified.

And he said that he would have landed on eggshells that day because he was that frightened. But they had to clear the aerodrome of the planes … cause the shell hadn’t gone off. He was terrified about it. But he got it down, and no one was hurt in any way. Two and a half hours it took him to get back to the camp with that shell behind him. Wasn’t he lucky!’

Join the Wall of Respect online and share the photo and story of your loved one.

Find out more

Read more of these extraordinary stories at 75 days, 75 stories.

And for more information, read One in a Million - Recognising our Second World War Veterans.