'We're proud': Joe's incredible journey to recognise Indigenous soldiers

He conducted a small ceremony at each of the graves, while draping the Aboriginal flag across the headstones.

Mr Flick is a Gomeroi and Yullaroi man originally from Collarenebri, NSW. He is a long-term employee of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, and a lifetime advocate for the unsung heroes of World War I.

Mr Flick's advocacy started on a rugby league trip to France with the under 15s Indigenous team, when he visited the Villers Bretonneux battlefield on which his grandfather fought.

During this trip, the young Mr Flick saw a photo of soldiers from World War I with an unnamed Indigenous soldier among them. He was inspired to right the wrong, to name the unnamed man and bring their spirit home.

He has since visited Villers Bretonneux five times and honoured the Aboriginal soldiers that were laid to rest there.

Mr Flick's advocacy for the forgotten Indigenous soldiers has had him visit France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, and he has connected with multiple families, helping them discover the burial places of their relatives.

He told the Daily Liberal in 2023: "We just want recognition ... that they went out, fought for our country, and died like other soldiers and we're proud of that.

"We know it's one step at a time, but this recognition [of Indigenous servicemen] is something for the future."

While most Australian soldiers are honoured on Anzac Day, April 25, Indigenous soldiers who fought in World War I were not given the same recognition.

The week after Anzac Day 2024, Mr Flick will head to France to make a documentary for the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney, with director Dylan Nicholls, who grew up in Dubbo, and alongside a relative of William Allan Irwin, Peter Milliken.

Together they will trace William Allan Irwin's relative to visit his final resting place at Daours Cemetery in France.

Mr Flick's mother and grandmother were part of our stolen generations, and his grandfather fought in World War I.

"When Aboriginal soldiers came home, they were treated differently. My grandfather, he wasn't allowed into the RSL to celebrate Anzac Day. He was told to 'go around the back and they would hand him a beer'," he said.

"These stories aren't known or talked about. When my grandfather came home, his kids weren't allowed to go to school - not until 1947. The majority of Aboriginal soldiers weren't provided with soldier settlement land blocks either."

Mr Flick said without the 1200 Aboriginal men enlisted in World War I, and without all our Australian soldiers, "we wouldn't have the freedom we have today."

Mr Flick's trip was funded by a Winston Churchilll Fellowship grant. Applications for this year's round of Churchill Fellowships are now open and close May 1.

Rachael Coghlan, CEO of the Winston Churchill Trust, said: "Joe's Churchill Fellowship and his ongoing important work honours these brave soldiers, to ensure their sacrifice is not forgotten."

On Anzac Day, Mr Flick will be at the Redfern Community Centre in Sydney, for a photography exhibition of his photos, called The Coloured Digger Anzac Day Event, illustrating his important journey in Europe.