'The little-known story of Reg Saunders, the first Indigenous Australian to become an officer in the Army, retold in action-packed graphic format. Reg Saunders MBE (1920-90) not only survived the World War II battlefields in the Middle East, North Africa, Greece, Crete and New Guinea, but excelled as a military leader. He was recommended for officer training and, in 1944, returned to New Guinea as a platoon commander - the first Aboriginal Australian to serve as a commissioned officer. What happened during the war to transform a determined young man from country Victoria into a war hero - one who would go on to serve with distinction in the Korean War, and become a pioneering figure for Indigenous rights?' (Source: Publishers website)
Unit Suitable For AC: Year 7 (NSW Stage 4). Elements of this unit could also be easily adapted to other year levels and also to other disciplines such as History or Cultural Studies.
Duration Six weeks
Themes
family, heroism, History, Indigenous, Indigenous Australians, Indigenous rights, mateship, race, racism, settlement, war
General Capabilities
Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding, Information and communication technology, Intercultural understanding, Literacy, Personal and social
Cross-curriculum Priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia
