The October 1917 Battle of Beersheba was one of the seminal battles of World War 1 - the first domino that led to the liberation of Palestine from the Turks and, ultimately, the establishment of Israel exactly 60 years ago. Yet, until now, it has almost been ignored by our political leaders. The battle is winning an appropriate place in Australia's national consciousness. Perhaps we are now, finally, about to embrace the monumental victory at Beersheba as a critical part of Australian cultural identity just as we have for so long with the defeat at Gallipoli.