It takes a village: Yarrabah’s mission to uplift the veteran community

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this article contains names of deceased persons.

In Far North Queensland just east of Cairns, the Indigenous community and beachside town of Yarrabah – home to the Gunggandji and Yidinji people – has a rich military history.

Yarrabah RSL Sub Branch President Greg Choikee says the military service of community members dates back to World War I (WWI). 

“There’s a lot of military tradition here,” Greg explains. 

“Past members include Carl Baker, who served in WWI and was buried in France. Stanley Connolly served in WWII and still has family here. His son, Father Michael Connolly – who is also the local priest – served in the Vietnam War and then his son, Tony, currently serves with the NORFORCE in Darwin. 

James Canuto

“Another is James Canuto, who did two tours of Vietnam and drove an M113-A1 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). A few years ago, we organised for the exact APC he drove in Vietnam to be transported here to the Sub Branch. We even got it blessed by Father Michael Connolly. So yeah, there’s a lot of connections to the military here.”

While Greg is in his first year of presidency at the Sub Branch, he – along with James Canuto – was also one of the founding members of Yarrabah RSL Sub Branch.

M113-A1 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at Yarrabah RSL Sub Branch

“There are a lot of veterans here, so we decided we needed an RSL; we needed to have somewhere to be,” Greg says. “So, we approached Cairns RSL Sub Branch and became a chapter initially, then after the probation period, became a Sub Branch in 2015.”

Supporting members of all generations 

Throughout history, Indigenous service-personnel had differing military experiences. 

At the end of WWII, for example, non-Indigenous veterans were entitled to land and pensions when they returned home from service; Indigenous veterans were not. 

During the Vietnam War, Yarrabah community members had to acquire a permit to leave their community to serve in the Australian Army because of their Indigenous heritage.

Greg understands that this history means Indigenous veterans may have different experiences or wellbeing needs, and is on a mission to make the Sub Branch a supportive and uplifting space for all veterans – no matter their age. 

“Most veterans tend to close up when they leave the military – especially the younger ones – so we like to try and speak to them, bring them in, mentor them where they are,” Greg says. 

“Every month we like to host meetings here at the Sub Branch, to allow them to open up and have a chat. We just want to give them the support we never had.”

Some of the younger members in the Sub Branch have also become involved with advocacy and wellbeing training to support a few of the older members. 

“Three ladies on our board are going through the training process to become carers and advocates for our members. They’ll even travel to the members that can’t come to the meetings, and sit with them and their families,” Greg says. 

Importance of commemoration and remembrance 

Every year, Yarrabah RSL Sub Branch is involved with a number of local commemorative services. Greg says these services are a meaningful way for the community to honour the military history of its local veterans. 

“It’s important to honour ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day because we have a significant military history in our community,” he says. 

“Remembrance is important because we’re all connected here, we’re all family.” 

Father Michael Connolly

On ANZAC Day in particular, many community groups also like to get involved with the commemoration. Greg says local health centres, the aged care centre and a rehabilitation centre are big supporters of the service and always happy to contribute wreaths or organise food for the event. 

This community engagement is important to Greg because it builds the presence of the Sub Branch and allows veterans in the area to connect.

“It's hard for some veterans to open up, but we try to make it easy for them,” he says. 

“Looking into the future, my vision for the Sub Branch is to turn this building into a hub along the beachfront, where veterans can have a cup of tea and a sandwich, or just come down for a chat. Hopefully that will come about.”