George Akee
Akee aka Aki Family clan / Geuram Tribe / Meriam Nation Eastern Torres Strait
Private
2nd/4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Royal Australian Infantry Corps
Australian Army
Medals and Awards
Australian Defence Medal
Chief of Army Commendation Grade 3
I am the first generation of Murray Islanders from my family to be born outside of the Torres Straits. My father found employment with Queensland Rail on the Hughenden/Winton Line in mid-West Queensland, and it was there that I was born. Both my parents are full-blood Meriam (Murray Island) people, my father belongs to the Geuram Tribe and my mother is from the Komet Tribe.
Growing up and attending Primary and High School in Townsville, I was always inspired by stories of my Uncle Charles Mene and his achievements in military campaigns during WWII. But it was my mother’s brother, Uncle Jack, who encouraged me to join the Australian Army. One day, when he was watching me staring at some APCs (Armoured Personnel Carriers) being transported south to Shoalwater Bay, he said to me, in his kind way, “My boy, if you want to see the world, that’s where you need to go (into the Army)” That’s when I thought the Army was something I could be a part of. I enlisted and, after recruit training, marched into the School of Infantry at Singleton. It was here, in 1989, me and thirteen members of 15/88 Amiens Platoon were injured when a 40mm High Explosive Grenade exploded. It was lucky there were no fatalities. At the time I heard an officer say, “That was the worst casualties since Vietnam.”
After graduating from the School of Infantry, I was posted to 2/4 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment based at Townsville’s Lavarack Barracks and served from March 1989 till my discharge on 5th February 1995.
During my basic Army training at Kapooka in Wagga Wagga and especially at the School of Infantry in Singleton, I encountered racism every day from the section commanders. When I challenged one of my NCOs and with conviction, I told him I wanted to leave the army – then and there. But he replied with something I found very profound, “Private Akee, if you can face what we throw at you at the school of hard knocks, then you can face anything in life.” His words kept me going. Battalion sports gave me more of an ‘opportunity’ to stand against racism on the sporting field. By letting out my frustrations in a more controlled environment of sport, I succeeded in winning the respect of many of my racist colleagues – the majority of whom had never had much to do with an Indigenous person before.
Finally, after too many injuries and not enough time to heal, I made the decision to leave the Army, swapping my rifle in pursuit of regaining my cultural knowledge alongside my father, who was, at the time, a Geuram Elder in Townsville’s Meriam Council of Elders. I was nominated as a Tribal Representative, after being recognised for my service in the Australian Regular Army. I happily accepted this nomination into Townsville Meriam Council of Elders as an understudy to my father. To this day I remain serving as a community Elder and the current Geuram Tribe Elder in Cairns. Fulfilling this role has been a major influence in my life that shapes how I conduct myself in the community. I hope to inspire future generations and leaders to face any negative societal issues professionally and in a more dignified manner as equals in society.