Lieutenant Commander Bertram Slape, OAM Military

Artist Belinda Mason

Artist Dieter Knierim

Date2016

Object number00055218

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

Terms

DescriptionA 3D, black and white photograph of Lieutenant Commander Bertram Slape, OAM Military by Belinda Mason and Dieter Knierim for the 'Serving Country' exhibition. Lieutenant Commander Bertram Slape OAM Military, is a Larrakia Man and has served in the Royal Australian Navy since 1972. Lieutenant Commander Bertram Keith Slape, OAM, enlisted into the Royal Australian Navy as a General Entry Sailor (Marine Technical Propulsion Sailor) and was later posted to the United Kingdom to carry out submarine training. He has held a range of Engineering and Staff appointments and in 1997 was awarded Medal of the Order of Australian (Military Division) for meritorious service and an Australia Day Medallion in 1996 for professionalism and commitment to the highest standard. Oh his 46 year service in the Navy Lieutenant Commander Bertram Slape recalls: 'Service brings you close to people in need. It has been a great honour as a senior Aboriginal person, to serve my country in the Australian Defence force I hope to inspire other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make a similar contribution".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.