Adele Mene
Panay, Aith Koedal
Torres Strait Islands
Private
Charlie Company
51st Battalion Far North Queensland Regiment
Australian Army
I joined the Army because I wanted to follow in my grandfather Charles Mene’s footsteps. He enlisted in 1939 and served in WW2 in the Middle East and in New Guinea. In 1944 he was interviewed by the Tribute newspaper who asked him why he enlisted and he told them, “I am fighting for a new world in which my people will get a better deal. I want to come back to an Australia where my people will have full rights as citizens, to an Australia where Aboriginal children will have the right to education, to work and to a healthy, happy life.” I am proud of what he achieved and have the same goals for my children. It was a challenge for me to leave my children while I went off to work, but it was for them that I joined the Army. When I joined, I was nervous about meeting new people, but like my grandfather I found my way, discovering that many I served with were members of my family or community.