Retired Leading Seaman Survival Equipment Beimop Tapim

Artist Belinda Mason

Artist Dieter Knierim

Date2016

Object number00055217

NamePhotograph

MediumBlack and White Durotran 3D photographs face-mounted on perspex lenticular lens, in perspex LED light box frame

DimensionsOverall: 973 × 670 × 40 mm
Image: 915 × 575 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection

Collections

Stories in photographs

Terms

DescriptionA 3D, black and white photograph of Retired Leading Seaman Beimop Tapim by Belinda Mason and Dieter Knierim for the 'Serving Country' exhibition. Retired Leading Seaman Beimop Tapim is a proud Dauareb man from Mer Island in the Torres Straits and the youngest of thirteen children. During his final of school on Thursday Island the HMAS Gascoyne anchored in the harbour. With three months of not even yet 18, Beimop enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in January 1966. In doing this he also followed in the footsteps of his Uncle who joined the army in WW2 and two elder brothers who joined and fought in WW2.HistoryFor more than a century Australian men and women have served in the Defence Force to protect Australia in wars, conflicts and peace keeping operations. Stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service in the countries defence is still somewhat untold. Despite the fact the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were not counted and recognised as Australians until 1967, they still enlisted to fight for their country in wars since the Boer War. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander soldiers, sailors and airmen have made significant contributions to Australia's military history from the Boer War, World War I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and post 1972 conflicts and peacekeeping operations to the present day, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders proudly served their country. Like their male counterparts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have also made a significant contribution to the defence of the nation through their service with the armed forces, civilian organisations such as the Women's Land Army or worked in war time industries. It is difficult to say just how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served because ethnic background was not specially identified in service records of enlistment. It is known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women served and continue to serve their country with great honour and pride in a range of operations in war, humanitarian disaster relief, peacekeeping, border protection and emergency defence assistance.SignificanceThe photographs by Belinda Mason were supported by Department of Veteran Affairs and City of Sydney for the Serving Country Exhibition which continues to be an ongoing project of documentation of an archive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women.
The photographs serve to acknowledge and recognise the valuable contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women who have served or who are serving in the Australian Defence Force.