It is almost exactly 107 years since Kamilaroi man George Bennett enlisted to serve in His Majesty's Service for the Great War.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images of people who have died.
He was 35 years old, a widower, a labourer and his complexion listed as "dark", according to Mr Bennett's attestation papers that are signed with an 'X', dated April 26, 1916.
Mr Bennett left the town of Mungindi, on the border of New South Wales and Queensland, and fought in the grim trenches of France's Western Front.
"I do know that he fought in Europe and he came back home after the war," Mr Bennett's great-granddaughter, Donella Waters, told the ABC.
"It makes it so proud."
Mr Bennett served with the 29th Battalion, and enlisted as part of the recruitment drive that followed the disastrous landing at Gallipoli.
The men may have seen the casualty list and offered themselves, knowing that they might suffer the same fate.
Documents from the National Archives of Australia suggest that Mr Bennett suffered with laryngitis while fighting in France before he was wounded in action in 1918. He returned to Australia by ship in 1919 with "possible mutilations".
It was a time where Aboriginal people weren't accepted as citizens and freedom was replaced with government policies, such as The Protection Act, which controlled every aspect of their lives, from where you could work and live, to who you could marry.
Many Indigenous soldiers, such as Mr Bennett, returned home scarred and their sacrifice ignored.
"It's very sad that he fought for this country, never got the honour or respect that he should have gotten," Donella Waters said, adding that, years later, her great-grandfather was arrested and jailed for being drunk and disorderly.
"Only two days later, he died in the cell alone."
"That goes to show you that nothing has changed much since those days. And that was in the 50s."
Mr Bennett has been buried in an unmarked grave.
Battle beyond the trenches
George Bennett's war hero legacy would live on through the generations.
His grandson, "Jimmy" Donald Edward Waters, was one of the thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to serve in World War II.
Originally trained to be a shearer like his dad, Jimmy grew up with the mission way of life, with few rights.
First Nations Australians were originally banned from enlisting, but Jimmy and his little brother, Leonard Waters, volunteered to fight, and were accepted due to the high losses at the beginning of the war.
"He said, 'I'm always fighting for my ancestors' land'," said Jimmy's daughter, Aunty Donella Waters.
Jimmy enrolled with the medical research unit, volunteering to be deliberately injected with malaria to help researchers find ways to fight tropical diseases.
"You can just imagine how many drugs they injected into him at that time," Ms Waters said.
"He was awarded for his service and quite happy to be part of that research. That was a very special occasion for him."
Jimmy then fought on the frontlines of Tarakan Island in Borneo where, Ms Waters says, her father experienced discrimination.
"His comrade's called him Darkie Waters. And I think that, that goes to show you that there was a lot of racism." she said.
Indigenous people enlisted in the war with hopes to get equal rights, receive land grants like other war veterans, receive a pension and be laid to rest with honour, but they were often shunned by Australian society.
"It was traumatic and hard for them to express themselves … My dad did talk a little bit about [the war] but I think they suffered really badly from it," Aunty Donella said.
When Jimmy passed away in 1974, the government initially refused to recognise him as a veteran and denied the customary funeral benefit payment until a non-Indigenous man in Tamworth helped the family fight for Mr Waters's burial entitlements.
Marching to honour Black war heroes
A grassroots community event sought to correct the record on Black diggers in 2007: The Coloured Digger Event was born.
The 2023 Coloured Digger Event is set to be the biggest one yet, according to Kabbi Kabbi man and event organiser, Ken Zulumvski, with thousands of people expected to attend.
"The theme for the Coloured Digger Event is always about unsung heroes," explained Mr Zulumovski, who joined the Army Reserve in his early 20s.
"[It's] a recognition of our history and contribution to all the conflicts, not just the ones fought overseas."
Mr Zulumovski decided to join the defence force to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and trauma impacting his family.
"I was just really keen to try and make something of myself," he said.
Mr Zulumovski found a second family after connecting with other Indigenous men in the army, who helped him heal and grow.
"I was really hungry for mentorship and looking for a strong man in community because I wanted to be like that," he said.
"I met [one man] and he said: 'In traditional times, we would be scarred in initiation. Our pain would be inflicted on us to force us to grow … Your scars are on the inside, so you have to see it like that'.
"That kind of mentality really helped me and I never forgot that," Mr Zulumovski said.
Now there is a "culture renewal" within the army that Mr Zulumovski says is making a positive experience for Aboriginal servicemen and women.
"It's the best leadership training that you can get in the military, and there's a culture of family and customs and tradition."
