Have you ever wondered how mail was received by soldiers on the front line? In this festive edition of Shrine Stories, Exhibitions Coordinator Katrina Nicolson uncovers a unique Christmas message and unpacks just how complex it was to coordinate wartime post. 

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating history of the Shrine's Ray of Light. This feature was meticulously calculated so at 11am on November 11, a beam of sunlight would shine through a hole in the Shrine's roof and illuminate the word 'love' etched into the Stone of Remembrance. However, the introduction of daylight savings in 1971 threw a spanner in the works, causing the light to hit the stone an hour late.

Join us as we explore how Frank Johnston, a surveyor and RMIT lecturer, worked on a solution to this problem and has continued to keep the light shining 50 years on. 

Uncover a story of determination and ingenuity as Shrine curator Neil Sharkey reveals the story behind these aluminium false teeth. With links to Ambon, this item tells an important story about the conditions that prisoners of war endured and the struggle to survive. 

At the height of the Holocaust, twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp - mainly Jewish women and girls - were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. Drawing on diverse sources including interviews with the last surviving seamstress, The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women.

In this captivating podcast recorded live at the Shrine, author and historian Lucy Adlington joined us virtually in conversation with the Melbourne Holocaust Museum’s Dr Breann Fallon.

Lucy refers to some pieces of clothing in this podcast. To view images of these belongings, go to https://www.shrine.org.au/live-shrine-dressmakers-auschwitz. 

This program was presented in partnership with the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and Melbourne Jewish Book Week.

To attend one of our events in-person, head to shrine.org.au

In this episode of Shrine Stories, we uncover the story behind a toy rabbit on display in the galleries. 

Listen as Shrine Education Officer Peter Luby uncovers its link to the fall of Singapore and the mystery behind its owner. 

Music

On this Day - Richard Smithson 

A century ago, a public design competition resulted in the grand architecture of the Shrine of Remembrance. For 90 years it has stood as an iconic sentinal in Melbourne's architecture, so it's hard to imagine anything else in its place...

In this series, you'll uncover the designs that could have been Victoria's War Memorial and the architects behind them. 

In this episode, Dr Katti Williams shares the story of the architects behind the Shrine, Philip Hudson and James Wardrop, and how their military service impacted their thinking for the memorial. 

A century ago, a public design competition resulted in the grand architecture of the Shrine of Remembrance. For 90 years it has stood as an iconic sentinal in Melbourne's architecture, so it's hard to imagine anything else in its place...

In this series, you'll uncover the designs that could have been Victoria's War Memorial and the architects behind them. 

Listen as Dr Katti Williams unpacks the second-placed design by William Lucas, and the controversy that followed when he wasn't crowned the winner. 

A century ago, a public design competition resulted in the grand architecture of the Shrine of Remembrance. For 90 years it has stood as an iconic sentinal in Melbourne's architecture, so it's hard to imagine anything else in its place...

In this series, you'll uncover the designs that could have been Victoria's War Memorial and the architects behind them. 

Listen as Professor Julie Willis explores the proposals of third-placed architect Donald Turner, and the fifth-placed design by Arthur Stephenson and Percy Meldrum. 

Recorded live at the Shrine, listen as Dave Sabben MG unpacks his book Mentions in Despatches, which is made up of hundreds of letters that he sent home to family during his service in Vietnam.

Hosted by Peter Meehan OAM, this conversation will give you an unrivalled account of what life was like for a frontline soldier in a war without front lines.

To see what's on at the Shrine, head to shrine.org.au/whats-on-at-the-shrine

Music: Right on Time, Adi Goldstein 

A century ago, a public design competition resulted in the grand architecture of the Shrine of Remembrance. For 90 years it has stood as an iconic sentinal in Melbourne's architecture, so it's hard to imagine anything else in its place...

In this series, you'll uncover the designs that could have been Victoria's War Memorial and the architects behind them. 

Listen as Professor Philip Goad uncovers the plans of fourth-placed architects Roy Lippincott and Edward Billson, along with those of one of the sixth-placed architects, Harold Desbrowe-Annear.