RSL Australia Honours Last Torres Strait Veterans

*Please be advised that this article contains the names of deceased people.

The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSLA) has paid tribute to the last two members of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion (TSLIB) who recently passed away. 

Mebai Warusam, 99, passed in July and was buried on his island of Saibai last week, and Awati Mau, 96, passed away in June this year.  

The RSL says the TSLIB was unique in that it was the only all-Indigenous battalion to serve in the Australian Defence Force, with almost all the enlisted men Torres Strait Islanders. 

The battalion was used mainly in a garrison role, defending the islands of the Torres Strait and the northern tip of Queensland. In 1943, a detachment was sent to patrol what was then Dutch New Guinea and came into contact with Japanese special forces.  

RSL Australia President Greg Melick said the Torres Strait Islanders played a vital role in the defence of Australia in the darkest days of the Second World War. 

“They served with dedication, bravery, and distinction and should have been recognised for their Service at the time,” Greg Melick said. 

“Almost every able-bodied man on the islands enlisted to serve, and they did so willingly.  

“Their service to our nation was finally recognised with the presentation of awards in 2005, and the passing of the last two members of the battalion marks the end of an era.  

“It reminds us that the ranks of our WW II veterans continue to diminish, and Australia must continue to recognise and honour those who have passed and those who remain. 

“The passing of Mebai Warusam and Awati Mau is undoubtedly a sad occasion for their families and their communities. The RSL honours them and expresses its condolences to their families and its thanks for their service to Australia,” Greg Melick said.