June 2017 at the AWM

For over a hundred years our country has been collecting the stories of Australians at war and on operations. Visit our website and reflect on those stories told at the Australian War Memorial.

Start planning your school holiday activities now by visiting the Memorial’s website, or download our winter brochure for ideas to keep the whole family entertained this winter at the Memorial.

Visit the Discovery Zone to explore what life may have been like on board a submarine in the Cold War, or practice morse code in a first world war trench. Children can hear the stories of brave animals and extraordinary people in faraway places in our Story Timesessions. Family tours are designed especially for children and their families and run for 30 minutes, while our make-and-create sessions allow children to put together some take-home craft creations. Visit our website for all the details.

During and immediately after the First World War, print became an important part of portraying the despair and desolation inflicted on Australians by the conflict. Join Assistant Art Curator Hannah Hutchinson for a behind-the-scenes look at the Memorial’s collection of prints responding to the First World War, including works by Kathe Kollwitz, Paul Nash, Otto Dix, and Georg Grosz.

Bookings are essential, and close Tuesday 13 June.

In late 1916 Charles Bean was joined on the Western Front by British press photographer Herbert Baldwin. As the first official photographer and cinematographer appointed to the Australian Imperial Force, Baldwin was tasked with recording the movements and actions of Australian soldiers.

Join curators of the exhibition A good little chap to learn more about Baldwin and his work, and get up close with the collection.

In the aftermath of the First World War, Charles Bean worked tirelessly to establish a memorial to the thousands of Australians who had lost their lives in service of their country. Join a curator-led tour of the exhibition To heal the nation to discover how Bean’s experiences shaped his vision for the building that has endured to this day.

Bookings are essential, and close Tuesday 27 June.

Talks and tours during NAIDOC Week

This NAIDOC Week the tour A long tradition highlights the stories about the service and sacrifice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, while our Hands-on history programs let you experience real objects, try on uniforms, and uncover stories of a families featured in the exhibition For Country, for Nation. You can also join a Memorial curator on our exhibition highlights tour.

Visit our website for all the details.

Flight Sergeant Arnold Lockyer Last Post Ceremony

As part of NAIDOC Week, the Last Post Ceremony on 5 July 2017 will commemorate Flight Sergeant Arnold Lockyer, who served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War and died as a prisoner of war in 1945.

Our Last Post Ceremonies take place daily in the Commemoration Area, and can also be viewed live on Facebook or via our dedicated Last Post Ceremony YouTube channel.

Badhu koebu gythal: stories of the war from Badu Island

In 2016 the Australian War Memorial commissioned Badhulgaw Kuthinaw Mudh(Badu Art Centre) on Badu Island in the Torres Strait to create a suite of linocut prints that interpret Torres Strait Islander service during the Second World War and its enduring legacy for the Badu community. These large-scale, dynamic prints will be on display in the Reg Saunders Gallery at the Australian War Memorial from June 30 2017.
Alick Tipoti, Kowbu Gidha Kedha [World war story as it’s told], 2016. AWM2016.401.1

This Friends-only behind-the-scenes tour of the Treloar Technology Centre takes place on 9 June 2017, and is an opportunity for Friends of the Memorial to see the hundreds of objects and artefacts not normally available to the public.

Get up close to the Memorial’s massive collection of aircraft, rockets, vehicles, tanks, artillery, and equipment, all used by or against Australians in war over more than a century. Free, but bookings are essential.

See our website for more information on how to join our Friends of the Memorial program.