The Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove is shown a photographic display of the history of AIATSIS by John Paul Janke and AIATSIS Principal Russell Taylor.
Today, the Governor-General of Australia visited the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), within a month of taking office.
His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retired) and Lady Cosgrove took time out of their busy schedule to visit the AIATSIS. During their tour, their Excellencies were introduced to some of the Institute’s more rare and invaluable items included in its collection. Items of special interest to the Governor-General were materials relating to Indigenous servicemen and women, including a recent acquisition by the Institute’s Collections area, a rare photo from the Boer War.
The vintage photograph of the Fourth Contingent of the Queensland Imperial Bushmen, on their return from the Boer War in August 1901, is a rare piece in its own right – but is made even more so by the fact that an Indigenous soldier can be seen clearly in the contingent.
AIATSIS Principal, Russell Taylor said the Indigenous man in uniform clearly visible in the original photograph is a very rare find.
“Very few records about Indigenous service in the Boer War exist and there are only a handful of known Indigenous participants. This photo is proof that Indigenous Australians served in the Boer War – further rare and invaluable evidence of Indigenous involvement in this conflict,” Mr Taylor said.
Another highlight of the tour for the Governor-General and Lady Cosgrove was a peek at some of the rare books held in the AIATSIS closed stacks, including the illustrated Field sports of the native inhabitants of New South Wales, published in 1813, and an early volume of the Voyage de découvertes aux terres australes, created after the Baudin expedition to Australia between 1800 and 1803.
Their Excellencies also took time to speak with staff in the audiovisual archives, busy digitising the AIATSIS collection before age and other factors mean they are lost forever.
AIATSIS is the custodian of the world’s most extensive unique collections of materials relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures, and is the national keeping place of Australia’s Indigenous cultural heritage, intrinsic to our national identity.
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