Serving Country

Serving Country is the creative work of Sydney-based human rights social documentarian Belinda Mason and artist Dieter Knierim and is a series portraits of Indigenous servicemen and women in the Australian Navy by Belinda Mason.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women have 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.

Many have served and continue to serve their country with great honour and pride in a range of operations, war, humanitarian, disaster relief, peacekeeping, border protection and emergency defence assistance.

Serving Country shares stories, both inspiring and devastating, of courage and mateship which plays a vital and healing role in Australian First Nations culture.

A selection of photographic portraits by acclaimed Human Rights social documentarian Belinda Mason highlights these servicemen and women and we look forward to bringing you more groupings of portraits from the collection over the next couple of years in an surprising interactive form of lenticular light boxes in the Navy Gallery at our museum.