George Johnson
Wailwan & Torres Strait Islander
Private
Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
Australian Army
From a broken household in Redfern, I went to a private boarding school, before joining the military. Being the eldest in my family, I have always seen it as an obligation to protect my family, my people and my nation. Consequently, the military is the closest occupation to a warrior I can get. From the moment I could walk, I’ve been covered in ochre and had a didgeridoo in my hands. I am extremely proud of who I am and where I come from. I’m sure that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait diggers felt the same way. I’m just following the footsteps of giants, the warriors who walked before colonisation, the ANZACs who ran through the trenches of WWI and WWII, and the diggers who climbed the mountains of the Middle East. My story is just a small line in the book of many who came before me and the stories yet to come.