Capital Canberra history in the news
Australian War Memorial news
Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson says 'space' to tell stories will be accepted by public once $550 million expansion is complete | Canberra Times article. In depth profile of the Australian War Memorial’s (AWM) director Matt Anderson
Frontier wars should be back on agenda | Canberra Times editorial which argues that the AWM has space to remain true to the memorial’s purpose while also acknowledging the fact of frontier violence.
Kokoda 80 years on | AWM item. The 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Kokoda campaign in Papua New Guinea was marked on 21 July 2022 with a Last Post Ceremony highlighting the service and sacrifice of Lance Corporal Denis Hackett of the 39th Australian Infantry Battalion, who died in Papua.
Family and local history discoveries
Market gardeners dug up the source of 100 million bricks | Riotact article. Jeff Coggan’s research into Goulburn’s brick-making history revealed a brick pit from which enough high-quality clay was extracted to manufacture 12 million bricks for Goulburn’s landmark historic buildings and significant residences.
Newly discovered WW1 photo album tipped to shed light on branch of one Yass family | Riotact article. Margaret Bush of Jerrawa uncovered an old family photo album featuring images from World War I, more than 100 years ago, showing faded photographs of soldiers – and camels. AWM experts will be looking at the album to help Margaret understand more of its provenance.
City streets and lanes remembering the past
Storybox Canberra | City Renewal Authority item. From 12 July to 30 September Civic will have a unique digital placemaking experience. Storyboxes will showcase the creative knowledge of the city including historical images of Canberra sourced from the major cultural institutions.
The last of Queanbeyan’s main laneways is painted in memory of blacksmiths | Riotact article. Blacksmiths Lane, a laneway off Queanbeyan’s main road, is being decorated in memory of the blacksmiths and wheelwrights who worked on Monaro Street, shoeing horses and repairing wagon wheels in the 19th -early 20th century.
Belonging: Stories from Far North Queensland
First nations artists feel connected to new national museum exhibition belonging | Riotact article. Mornington Island artist Dorothy Gabori vibrant work, Our Mother’s and Grandmother’s Country, which she painted with her sister Amanda is one of the works in the National Museum of Australia’s new exhibition, Belonging: Stories from Far North Queensland. It is now showing until 12 February, 2023. Free exhibition. Open daily.
The day history students made history
We need help to stop them the Aboriginal tent embassy and how ANU students helped to keep it there | Canberra Times Article remembering how on July 20 1972 ANU students and their lecturer the eminent historian Humphrey McQueen joined in the protest to stop police dismantling the Aboriginal tent embassy.
Acknowledgement: In marking the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Kokoda campaign the AWM commented: Kokoda has become one of Australia’s best-known wartime campaigns. It has come to represent qualities such as courage, sacrifice and mateship. Remembering Kokoda reminds us of what it means to be an Australian.
Growing up in a community where many of the older men were veterans of WW2, I found this a very poignant statement which had me thinking a lot about the sacrifices that were made in the war.
The AWM holds many photos and other items on the Kokoda campaign that can be readily accessed online if you are interested in knowing more about the Kokoda campaign. See here.
The image above is one from the AWM collection. It captures quite a unique moment which must have an interesting backstory. Damien Parer (right in the photograph), as the official cinemaphotographer, accompanied the first Australian patrol that reached Kokoda and, in this image, taken on 29 August 1942 is meeting his brother Cyril who had been living in New Guinea for many years at this point. Full details here.
Damien Parer’s footage of the Kokoda campaign would be released as Kokoda Front Line! The film brought home to Australians the realities of the war. The United States of America's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences commended the work in 1943 'for distinctive achievement in documentary production' and later awarded an Oscar to its producer Ken Hall. Australia’s first Oscar-winning film.
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