War grave dedication for David Mullett, 28-10-23, Bega District News
Private David Mullett, an indigenous soldier in the Australian Light Horse Brigade 1 Remount Unit during WWI is finally given a war grave and headstone in Bega Cemetery, 85 years after his death.
Transcript
00:00 You know, when we talk about World War I, we often get lost in the sheer scale of human
00:20 sacrifice, in the grand strategies, the pivotal battles.
00:26 Yet it's essential to remember that behind each statistic, each strategic move on the
00:33 war map, were individual men and women with dreams, hopes and families.
00:40 And we know that Uncle Dave here was one of those men.
00:48 Like many of our warrior ancestors, he spoke very little of the war.
00:52 Perhaps the memories were too painful, or perhaps he felt that words couldn't quite
00:56 do justice to the experience.
00:59 Yet through his actions, through the life he tried to build after the war, he told us
01:06 everything we needed to know about the kind of man he was, even in his silence.
01:11 I really don't know what to say.
01:13 I love my grandfather.
01:15 And I always thought about, he said to us, Albert and I used to always go everywhere
01:23 with him.
01:25 He said to Bertlose, as we called Albert, he said, "I must take you off the bush and
01:32 show you the medicines that your mother can make for you.
01:36 I think you'll know what to take to make medicine out of."
01:40 And I've been a nice little four year old girl, and said, "Can I come too, Grandfather?"
01:45 And before he could say anything, Albert, hands on hips, stamps the foot and says, "No,
01:49 this is men's business."
01:51 And I got him by the ear and Grandfather got him by the other ear.
01:55 He said to Albert, "Only for women, we wouldn't be here."
02:00 So now you want to stamp the other foot too?
02:03 I love him.
02:05 He was a darling old man.
02:07 He taught us everything he knew about our history, our people and what they went through.
02:14 And said he hoped in the future, things would be better for us.
02:19 That's why I say, I miss him.
02:23 Don't annoy him because Albert's passed away and he's probably telling Grandfather what
02:28 to do right now.
02:30 Thank you.
02:32 And so, Anca, it's an honour to honour you today and to give you this honour in terms
02:38 of the incredible exploits that you have done, the service that you have made.
02:44 And we live in a land of peace and we owe that to you.
02:52 I hope that one day I'll have the honour too that you'd come up in your spirit there to
02:57 see us make sure that we honour my Grandfather with a proper memorial as well.
03:05 One day.
03:08 Their bodies are buried in peace and their name liveth forevermore.
03:14 O valiant hearts who to your glory came, through dust of conflict and through battle flamed,
03:20 tranquil you lied, your knightly virtue proved, your memory hallowed in the land that you
03:26 loved.
03:28 The hour has come to rest.
03:30 This poppy, an emblem of sacrifice, a symbol of a life offered for the service of one country,
03:36 this is a link between our comrade and us who remain.
03:39 We place it here in remembrance.
03:42 [Music]
03:47 [Music]
03:51 [Music]
03:54 [Music]
04:18 [Music]
04:21 [Music]
04:35 [Music]
04:46 [Music]
05:12 They shall grow not old as we the left go old.
05:16 Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
05:20 At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
05:27 Lest we forget.
05:31 Thank you.
05:34 I just wonder if I can indulge us for one more moment.
05:38 You know, Uncle Dave fought in a theatre of war in a country that's really at war with
05:46 each other at the moment.
05:47 And I'm sure Uncle Dave would expect us to have a minute of silence for the people of
05:52 Palestine and Israel and that he would ask us to pray that they would have a swift peace
05:59 in that country.
06:01 So let's just have a minute of silence for the people of Palestine and Israel and seek
06:06 a swift peace.
06:09 [Silence]
06:13 [Silence]