Redfern’s controversial mural poses questions to the next generation of Australian leaders – and to the War Memorial, where it could easily belong

Late last April the street artist Hego spent seven hours carefully pasting a mural of an Indigenous Australian world war one serviceman onto a wall in inner-Sydney Redfern.

The mural is comprised of 12 square metres of architectural printer paper. It stands nearly as high as the Aboriginal Housing Company building on whose corner it is posted. Situated on one of Redfern’s busiest corners at the entrance to The Block – urban Sydney’s most culturally significant Indigenous area and, now undergoing redevelopment, perhaps its most controversial – Black Anzac tells many stories.

The whole point of putting the mural right outside The Block without any explanatory text was it was facing the main pathway from Redfern Station to Sydney uni where about 5,000 students walk each and every day. I wanted the mural ... to start a conversation and strategically I start it with the next generation of Australia’s leaders.

The Australian War Memorial is a place where we treat all service people equally and that is reflected in the way the Memorial commemorates the commitment and sacrifice of all servicemen and women.

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