Anzac Day March to be Led by Descendant of Indigenous Soldiers

Ricky Morris, a descendant of Gunditjmara soldiers who served in both World Wars, will be among six RSL ambassadors leading the Anzac Day march in Melbourne. This year's event follows a 2023 incident where a Welcome to Country address at Melbourne's dawn service was met with booing.

Morris is one of 25 descendants of the Lovett family to have served in the Australian military since World War I.

A Legacy of Service and Dispossession

Morris's grandfather, Frederick Amos Lovett, and four great-uncles served in World War I. A generation later, all but one returned to serve in World War II.

After World War I, the Lake Condah mission where the family lived was closed. Following World War II, the Victorian government created soldier settlement plots for returned veterans. Approximately 12,000 soldiers in Victoria received land parcels.

According to Morris, none of these land grants were given to the Lovett family.

In 1957, a bluestone church on the former Lake Condah mission site was demolished with explosives by government contractors.

A March for Recognition and Reconciliation

Ricky Morris stated he would be marching to honor all First Nations people who have served. He emphasized the need for historical accuracy:

"We've got to get the stories of black and white Australia right. Once you get that, everything else falls into line."

Lynn Mizen, vice president of RSL Victoria, called the denial of soldier settlement to the Lovetts a "sad indictment" of past treatment. She stated that having Morris as an ambassador is part of changing perceptions and culture.

Lasting Memorials and Ongoing Justice

Today, Australia has approximately 3,159 Indigenous service members, representing about 3.7% of the defense force.

At the Lake Condah site, a reconstructed timber dormitory is the only fully formed structure remaining. It contains the altar from the demolished church and a sign reading "Stolen."

In the nearby town of Heywood, a water tower features images of four Lovett brothers and Reginald Saunders, the first Aboriginal commissioned officer in the Australian Army.

Last year, the Yoorook Justice Commission recommended the Victorian government provide redress to First Peoples who were denied soldier settlement blocks.