Jimmy Melbourne was the first Indigenous footballer in West Australia.
He was also among the few Aboriginal soldiers to land at Gallipoli.
Now he has finally been recognised for his service at a simple ceremony held in Melbourne.
It's happened thanks to a man who travels the country searching for unmarked Indigenous war graves.
Jimmy Melbourne has been lying in an unmarked grave in Melbourne's southeast for nearly 80 years.
"This man was the first ever Nyoongar to play WAFL football in West Australia. He was also a veteran..."
But time has not dimmed the fondness with which is he remembered.
John Schnaars runs a not-for-profit business that aims to commemorate the previously unrecognised lives of Indigenous soldiers.
He says Jimmy's was remarkable.
"He was a pretty special guy, what he was able to do back then. He got a jockey's licence in 1896 which probably made him the only Aboriginal in Australia with a jockey's licence at that time. Then the first one to play football in WA. And then to go to Gallipoli and come home, and get murdered on your home soil - (it's a) pretty sad situation."
Jimmy was murdered by his landlord in his South Melbourne home in 1937.
Since then, putting the pieces of Jimmy's life together hasn't been easy.
While much is known about his achievements, little is known about his direct family.
Jimmy was orphaned when he was four years old, and never had children.
David Collard travelled from Perth to Melbourne for the ceremony.
He says one thing that is certain is Jimmy's connection to the Nyoongar people of West Australia.
It's a connection David Collard shares.
"Jimmy is part of, what we call, one of the 14 clans of Nyoongar. And when you go to York you'll understand that it is Balladong country, and I am also a proud Balladong person. Jimmy's one of them."
While Melbourne is his final resting place, Jimmy's headstone holds a significant connection to his home country.
Chris Thomas, the stonemason responsible, says Jimmy's birthplace was his chief inspiration.
"York had a quarry for some time, but it has been closed for probably 60-70 years. So it's very very hard for us to get any York stone. But in this instance, we were lucky enough to be able to get some York stone, specifically for Jimmy. And it's now actually an Aboriginal sacred site, the quarry, so the stone is blessed well and truly for him."
AFL greats also attended the ceremony.
Former Essendon Football Club coach Kevin Sheedy says it was an honour to be able to pay his respects.
"I'm very proud. I mean, this young man showed a lot of courage, really, to put his hand up to play in the West Australian footy league very early. But it's just a wonderful congregation of people that are really celebrating a fantastic career, that unfortunately ended up in Melbourne. But with a name like Jimmy Melbourne - that's just an amazing sort of name."
Since 2001, John Schnaars has restored more than 180 war graves.
He says he won't be stopping any time soon.
"When you see what it does for so many families and how it affects them - and other people who come along - that's what I say you can't buy that with money. It's just something special."
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