Film shines light on Aboriginal war hero ahead of NAIDOC screening

THE remarkable story of a decorated Aboriginal first world war soldier and his great-nephew’s emotional journey to bring his spirit home will be shared during the 19th Arakwal NAIDOC Week Short Film Screening at Byron Theatre this month.

Bringing His Spirit Home, directed by former Kingscliff High School student and Yuwaalaraay man Dylan Nicholls, follows Gomeroi man Peter Milliken as he travels to France to visit the grave of his great-uncle, Private William Allan Irwin DCM, and perform a traditional ceremony to bring his spirit home.

Nicholls said he was captivated when he first discovered Irwin’s story.

“When I read about his story online, I was amazed,” he said.

“It was incredible to see how brave this man’s actions were, and I’d never really even heard of him before.”

Irwin was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the second-highest award for gallantry available to Australian soldiers during the first world war.

Nicholls said Irwin captured three enemy machine-gun posts during the Battle of Mont St Quentin in 1918 before being mortally wounded while attempting to capture a fourth.

“You read about something like that and, I mean, that’s got Victoria Cross written all over it,” he said.
Nicholls said the film was also about recognising the contribution Aboriginal servicemen made during the war, stories he said were often overlooked.

“When I was going through school, I didn’t really learn anything about the fact that Aboriginal soldiers served in the first world war,” he said.

He said following Milliken’s first visit to France gave the documentary its emotional heart.

“It’s a very moving film and a lot of it happened spontaneously when we got over there, but it means the moments we captured were pretty authentic,” he said.

Nicholls said storytelling played an important role in helping Australians better understand their shared history.

“A lot of these stories need to be told and shared so people of all generations can learn from them,” he said.

Bringing His Spirit Home will screen as part of the 19th Arakwal NAIDOC Week Short Film Screening at Byron Theatre on 7 July from 6.30pm. Tickets are available via the Byron Theatre website.