This week Living Black speaks to Pastor and Indigenous awareness campaigner Ray Minniecon.

Ray’s fight for recognition and respect for his people is evident as he marches on ANZAC day to show support and recognition of his aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ex- service men and women.

He tells Karla about the Bobanna Men's group he's involved with in Redfern.

"I feel a real comradeship there amongst the men, we can support each other. We have a real good spiritual background that comes from our culture and comes from our deep spirituality of who we are its much more important to have these men’s groups outside our community rather that in the hails", he says.

"Because most of our young men are in jails and tats where they get that kink of support within the jails, you know that men’s business".

Transcript

KG: This week the spotlight is cast on Pastor Ray Minniecon, a man who continually devotes his time to helping others in the community. Ray's fight for recognition and respect for his people is evident as he marches on ANZAC Day to show support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ex-service men and women.

Ray Minnicon: A lot of our fathers, grandfathers and uncles fought - and aunties had fought - in overseas conflicts, and they have come back and they didn't get that recognition so it's up to us as Aboriginal people to give them that recognition ourselves. And hopefully the broader community will open up their hearts and their doors and give that recognition, also to our diggers. Aboriginal people weren't even allowed to join the army at that stage, but they went and they fought for this country. They are the greatest diggers of all because they fought for this country - they are from this country.

MEN'S BUSINESS...

It's really important. I go to a group called Bobanna Men's Group here in Redfern and it's one of the most important things for me personally that I have ever been involved in because I feel a real comradeship there amongst the men - we can support each other, we understand each other. It's much more important for us to have these men's groups outside our community rather than in the jails. Because most of our young men are in jails and that's where they get that kind of support, within the jails, you know, that men's business. We prefer to see it outside the jails than inside the jails.

TAKING CONTROL...

When you're talking about community violence and sexual abuse it's us men doing that silly stuff but there's no programs out there for us so we ourselves have to develop these programs so we can challenge ourselves to be the men we know we can be.