Light Horse Brigade Indigenous soldier's unmarked grave has new headstone dedicated

The Australian Light Horse Brigade holds a special place in our national psyche.

What may not be as widely known as the iconic image of mounted cavalry, or the famous siege of Beersheba, is the number of Indigenous Australian men who served in the Light Horse.

To discover one such member of that storied unit was buried in an unmarked grave in Bega in NSW spurred a local man to action.

October marks 106 years since the "Charge of the Light Horse Brigade" at Beersheba, Israel, and Bega's Terry Hutchinson said he was proud the final resting place of Private David Mullett now had a proper headstone.

The story behind the gravestone - and an official dedication ceremony coming up this month - is another one for the history books.

Terry said three of his great-uncles fought in World War I, two for Australia and one for New Zealand as he was over there shearing at the time war broke out.

The Firth brothers were from Pillaga NSW and served with the Australian Light Horse Brigade in the Middle East.

Ernest Firth was killed on November 3, 1917, at Tel Khuweilfeh in Palestine and is buried at the Beersheba War Cemetery.

"When [his brothers] Bertie and Charles came back home they were not even allowed in the pub," Terry said.

Terry said his family's Aboriginal heritage was never spoken about - whether out of shame, or a fear they could be caught up in what became known as the Stolen Generation.

"I remember asking Mum why my grandfather was so dark. She said we were descendants of the black Irish," he said.

"We were told not to talk about it. I could've been taken away."

He really only learnt of his Aboriginal heritage about 15 years ago, and through research uncovered his links to the Indigenous members of the Australian Light Horse Brigade who served overseas.

"The next moment I was invited to Israel!" he said.

In October 2017, Terry was part of a delegation to Israel for the centenary commemoration of the charge of Beersheba, among the Light Horse's most significant contributions to the war effort.

"We followed the trail of the Light Horse across that region and they also took me to my great-uncle's grave.

"I was the first person to visit his grave in 100 years."

It was on that trip he met Doris Paton, the great-granddaughter of David Mullett, who coincidentally had ties to Terry's home of Bega.

David grew up in Victoria before heading off to war as a volunteer in the 1^st Remount Unit of the Australian Light Horse.

Upon his return and moving around to find work, he found himself bean picking on the Bega River.

Upon his death in 1938, he was buried at the Bega Cemetery.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Terry said the gravesite of a Light Horse Brigade member deserved due recognition.

"I was watching a documentary on us and our trip to Israel and there was a scene of Doris at her great-grandfather's grave, crying," Terry said.

"It was just a plot of lawn. There wasn't even a headstone.

"I said 'let's fix that'.

"I'm a member of the Bega RSL sub-branch and I put together a proposal to the Department of Veterans Affairs for a war grave. That was in about 2019.

"Initially it was declined, without any reason given.

"So I went to Mike Kelly, and Doris went to Dan Tehan [at the time the Minister for Veterans Affairs] - a day later it was approved."

Terry said Noel and Stacey Alcock of Sapphire Monuments and Granite, Tantawangalo, prepared a headstone and the gravesite was to have a formal dedication on October 28.

Doris said she and other family members of David Mullett plan to be at the special dedication service to share in what's sure to be a very special - and long overdue - moment.