For a century, Private William Allan Irwin DCM—a proud Aboriginal soldier who gave his life on the battlefields of France during the First World War—remained unrecognised by Australia. William was a proud Gomeroi man who enlisted in World War I in 1916 at a time when he was not recognised as a citizen. Since his death, his family carried his memory, while his name was absent from Australia’s official tributes to soldiers. 106 years later, the people of the Somme region in France have learned of William’s sacrifice and are determined to honour him with a special ceremony as William will be made an honorary citizen of the Somme. It will be the first time any WWI soldier receives this distinction. William’s great-nephew, Peter Milliken embarks on a deeply personal journey to France to accept the honour on behalf of his family. Upon arriving he is astounded at how much respect the local French community have for William and other Indigenous soldiers, contrasting this with his own experiences as an Aboriginal man in Australia. The French community give testimony to the impact of war in their communities for hundreds of years, and how much it means to them to honour William. On April 18th, during the ceremony to honour William, Peter shares his Gomeroi culture and language with the French, while proudly holding the Aboriginal flag. Peter uses this opportunity to highlight how the opposition leader in Australia refuses to stand in-front of an Aboriginal flag, despite what Indigenous soldiers like William have sacrificed for Australia. This film not only highlights the significance of First Nations soldiers in WWI but poses the question “how far Australia still has to go in fully acknowledging the contributions of First Nations people to its history?”
A proud Yuwaalaraay man, Dylan is a Documentary Filmmaker and Clinical Psychologist based on Gadigal country (Sydney, NSW). Dylan is an emerging Director / Producer of documentary films and was a recipient of the inaugural First Nations Netflix Scholarship (’23 to ’24) while studying MA Screen: Documentary at the Australian Film Television Radio School (AFTRS). During his studies, Dylan directed four short films and produced three of those. Working across multiple modes of documentary, his work focuses on First Nations culture, truth-telling, healing, mental health, and community. His short documentaries include One in a Million (2024), which is streaming on DocPlay and Echoes of Dissent (2024), which premiered at Flickerfest (2025).