Wednesday 9 March 2016 - Peter FitzSimons AM

On 19 July 1916, 7,000 Australian soldiers – in the first major action of the AIF on the Western Front – attacked entrenched German positions at Fromelles in northern France. By the next day, there were over 5,500 casualties, including nearly 2,000 dead. Yet the sad truth is that, nearly a century on from those battles, Australians know only a fraction of what occurred. With his extraordinary vigour and commitment to research, Peter FitzSimons shows why this is a story about which all Australians can be proud. And Angry.

Wednesday 24 February 2016

Jeff Maynard

A mystic explorer, George Hubert Wilkins, was appointed the official photographer under Charles Bean at the Western Front during WWI. Author Jeff Maynard discovered Wilkins’ lost records in the USA in 2014 and uses them to illustrate the remarkable story of the man who put a face to the Anzac legend. Peter Wolfenden also provides a demonstration of a 1912 Thornton Pickard full plate camera similar to the one used by George Wilkins and Frank Hurley on the Western Front.

Friday 19 February 2016

John Thompson-Gray

Drawing on five years of research and interviews with centenarian airmen, Cambridge scholar and author John Thompson-Gray reveals untold stories of love, luck and grand larceny during the strafing at Broome in 1942. Discover the truth behind the disappearance of 30,000 Amsterdam diamonds from a plane shot down near Broome on 3 March 1942, a mystery which has baffled historians for decades. This talk followed the Darwin Defenders commemorative service.

Thursday 21 January 2016 - Kerryn Taylor

Wish You Were Here: Textile Artists Honour a Century of Service is on loan to the Shrine courtesy of the Wangaratta Textile Association. Join contributing artist Kerryn Taylor as she shares the origins of the exhibition. Learn more about the themes behind the works and discover the family stories hidden within the threads.

A special presentation by Leslie Bunn Glover ('Bunny") as part of the Sandakan Mebourne Cup display at the Shrine of Remembrance during this year's Spring Racing Carnival. Commemorating the 2,500 Australian and British men who dies as prisoners of the Japanese on Borneo. The Sandakan Cup (1942) and the Emirates Melbourne Cup (2015) were featured on stage during the program. In May 1942, Bunny was among hundreds of Australian prisoners moved to a forced-labour camps at Sandakan, Borneo, after the fall of Singapore. Happy memories of his time in captivity are few but a clear example is the running of the Sandakan Melbourne Cup in November 1942.

Jim Claven MA, Secretary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, will recount the often forgotten role that the Greek Island of Lemnos played in the Gallipoli campaign. Lemnos was the forward base for the campaign and the location of soldiers’ rest camps and field hospitals. There were 148 diggers buried amongst the over 1,200 other Allied graves on the island. Lemnos is also the location for the armistice which ended the First World War in the East.

Lambis Englezos AM discusses the search for the missing men of the Battle of Fromelles. A team’s tireless search and advocacy over many years led to the discovery of a mass burial site for 250 soldiers lost since First World War. This search has led to the creation of the first new Commonwealth War Cemetery since World War II and has connected hundreds of families with their military heritage.

This recording is part of the Shrine of Remembrance Regional Lecture series. The lecture was held on Monday 14 September 2015 at Ararat Regional Art Gallery, Ararat, Victoria, Australia.

Wednesday 3 Jun, 12.30pm Dr Michael Lawriwsky

At Courtney’s Post on the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula in May 1915 Albert Jacka was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery. He was Australia’s first recipient of the award during the First World War and soon became one of Australia’s most well-known soldiers. Join Michael Lawriwsky, author of Hard Jacka and Return of the Gallipoli Legend, as he discusses Albert Jacka’s brave actions.

Tuesday 19 May, 12.30 Dr Michael Lawriwsky

Gallipoli, most well-known for the landing on Anzac day, was also a place where our ANZACs distinguished themselves. 10 Victoria Crosses alone were awarded to the Australian and New Zealanders in the 8 months that the ANZACs were on the peninsula. Dr Lawriwsky, author of Hard Jacka and Return of the Gallipoli Legend: Jacka VC, joins us to discuss the Gallipoli VCs on 100th anniversary. The 19th of May was the day that first VC was awarded to Albert Jacka VC.

Friday 8 May 2015 - Christopher Wray

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Second Battle of Krithia, Christopher Wray will speak on the events of the fateful afternoon of 8 May, 1915. The 2nd (Victorian) Brigade commanded by Sir James McCay took part in the final attempt to reach and break through the Turkish lines at the village of Krithia, 4 miles north of Capes Helles. Christopher, author of Sir James Whiteside McCay: A Turbulent Life, will discuss the devastating battle where McCay’s brigade lost nearly a third of its strength.