Aboriginal WWI veteran recognised after 78 years in unmarked grave in Riverland cemetery

An Aboriginal World War l veteran whose grave in South Australia's Riverland has been unmarked for 78 years has finally been honoured.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised the following contains the name and images of a person who has died.

Ngarrindjeri and Ramindjeri man Uncle Lush Wilson was born at Raukkan (formerly Point McLeay) near the mouth of the Murray River.

Uncle Lush worked as a labourer and was 21 when he enlisted to serve on the Western Front in 1916.

His grandson, Uncle Norman Wilson of the Ngintait, Ngarrindjeri, Ramindjeri and Nganguruku language groups, said war stories had been passed down.

"He'd seen a lot of his brothers, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, shot in front of him," he said.

"[Uncle Lush] climbed up a tree when they started bombing — he was lucky he got out of it."

Aboriginal Veterans SA said that in another battle Uncle Lush survived three gunshots to his arms and legs.

He made a full recovery and insisted upon resuming his service.

"He wanted to fight for Australia and show his bravery … show how strong he was to keep fighting."

Resting place commemorated at last

After the war, Uncle Lush travelled up the Murray and eventually settled in the Riverland. He died in 1944.

He was buried in an unmarked grave, so while family knew his final resting place was somewhere in Barmera, the exact location was never known.

Identifying Uncle Lush's plot at Barmera cemetery took a combined effort from the Headstone Project, Aboriginal Veterans SA and local resident Judy Bannear.

Around 18 months later, Uncle Lush's descendants gathered at his burial site to unveil a new grave and headstone, finally honouring his service to country.

Uncle Norman said it was a day he would never forget.

"What they've done for us today, this is unbelievable. This will be a very special day to me for the rest of my life."

A black-and-white system

Uncle Norman said acknowledging his ancestor's service in the war contributed to a greater recognition of First Nations veterans.

Aboriginal diggers were treated as equals on the battlefield but faced discrimination upon returning home.

"They were brothers over there," Uncle Norman said.

"But when they came home, the white people were given land of 200 acres, but for my grandfather and the other Aboriginal people, you'd go back to the nearest Aboriginal mission.

"He should've been on an army pension because he fought the same war.

Thousands of veterans in unmarked graves

Many veterans experienced poverty and their families had no means of providing an ordinary burial when they died.

Aboriginal Veterans SA co-chair Uncle Frank Lampard of the Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna language groups said this led to an abundance of unmarked graves.

Uncle Frank said dedication ceremonies helped to raise public awareness.

"We had a huge turnout. That's going to assist us to get more support to address lots of those unmarked graves in the future."

Already, a number of veterans resting in unmarked graves have been found across the state — 22 at Port Pirie, 19 at Port Augusta and nine in Adelaide.

The Headstone Project South Australia believes there could be more than 2,500 unmarked graves of Indigenous and non-Indigenous veterans in the state.