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Airdate: Truth Be Told: Lest We Forget

This Nov. 11 NITV doco highlights the little-known involvement of Indigenous soldiers in World War I.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War, NITV presents a dedicated lineup of programming for Remembrance Day on Sunday 11 November, including the television premiere of  Truth Be Told: Lest We Forget.

The documentary produced by Since 1788 highlights the little-known involvement of Indigenous soldiers in World War I.

NITV Channel Manager, Tanya Orman said, “NITV has a strong history of bringing ground-breaking and often untold stories to all Australians. Truth Be Told: Lest We Forget is an ambitious documentary that aims to drive change in the way all Australians view our history and shared experiences, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in World War I and the Allied involvement in the Middle East Campaign, in particular the charge of the Light Horse into Beersheba.

“The documentary shares a truly engaging story, told through the eyes of family members of Aboriginal soldiers. NITV is incredibly proud to broadcast this documentary for our community.”

Truth Be Told: Lest We Forget.follows Ricky Morris, Aunty Doris Paton, Terry Hutchison and Pastor Ray Minniecon, descendants of Aboriginal soldiers who fought as part of the World War I Palestine campaign.

Ricky, Doris, Terry and Ray were amongst hundreds of Australians, including former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who gathered in southern Israel in October 2017 to mark the 100 year anniversary of the legendary Battle of Beersheba.

Through their travels, the descendants hoped to uncover the untold stories of their ancestors.

Up until 1917, it was illegal for Aboriginal people to enlist in World War I. Today, over 1000 Aboriginal soldiers have identified as having served, many in the Light Horse. The Indigenous involvement and contribution during WWI is still widely unknown in contemporary Australian culture and until very recently was not acknowledged.

Truth Be Told: Lest We Forget aims to not only shed light on Indigenous participation in WWI but also inform about government policies at the time and how they affected Indigenous people pre, during and post war.

Production credit: Truth Be Told: Lest We Forget is a Since 1788 production for NITV. Principal production investment from NITV in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from the Australian Government Department of Veteran Affairs.

Sunday 11 November at 8.30pm on NITV.

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