Dr Richard Reid-

Dr Richard Reid from the Department of Veterans Affairs discusses the work currently being done on the Australian Remembrance Trail on the Western Front. The Remembrance Trail has seen the Office of Australian War Graves begin working with local communities and regional authorities to establish improved visitor facilities at former Australian First World War battlefields in Belgium and France. Dr Reid discusses the Trail and what it hopes to achieve for the thousands of Australians who visit annually. 

Professor Paul James

Evidence of our commitment to peace is frequently overshadowed by the emphasis given by the media to reports of conflict. What is peace? This talk examines international, national and local efforts that seek to ensure stability and opportunities for creative collaboration in our world. Australia’s role in peacekeeping in recent decades and in international initiatives for peace, contribute to the narrative. Peace cannot be taken for granted, and it seems, demands our eternal vigilance.

Pattie Wright

Many would call these two men heroes and they would be right. Sadly, only one returned. Hec Waller was an RAN Captain and Weary Dunlop, a lieutenant Colonel, a doctor and POW. What are the odds that two of Australia's greatest came from what was then a small town by a river in northwest Victoria? Pattie Wright, author of The Men of the Line and the just published, Ray Parkin's Odyssey, will speak on the history of these two Benalla heroes. 

Consul General to Malta, Charles Mifsud

During the two world conflicts, Malta gave its valued part in defeating the enemy. In this context, the connection with ANZACs is hardly ever observed. The connection started in World War I, whereby Malta served as the nurse of the Mediterranean, seeing to injuries of ANZACs and allied soldiers during the Gallipoli Campaign and then continued on until the 1950s. 

Mr Tim Whitford and Mr Lambis Engelzos AM

Join Lambis and Tim from the Shrine of Remembrance as they discuss the search for the missing men of the Battle of Fromelles. Lambis and Tim's tireless search and advocacy over many years led to the discovery of a mass burial site for 250 soldiers lost since World War I. This search has led to the creation of the first new Commonwealth War Cemetary since World War II and has connected hundreds of families with their military hertiage. 

Major General John Cantwell

Exit Wounds is the compassionate and deeply human account of one man’s tour of the War on Terror, the moving story of life on a modern battlefield: from the nightmare of cheating death in a minefield, to the poignancy of calling home while under rocket fire in Baghdad, to the utter despair of looking into the face of a dead soldier before sending him home to his mother. He has hidden his post-traumatic stress disorder for decades, fearing it will affect his career. 

Colonel Marcus Fielding

Colonel Marcus Fielding will provide a unique and fascinating insight into the significant contribution by the Australian soldiers embeded in various Coalition headquarters. In telling his own story, Fielding provides interesting and fresh perspectives on Australia's involvement. 

There have been many books written on Kokoda in the last twenty years and most mention Bert Kienzle in passing. To quote Alan Poweel, author of The Third Force- "No man on the track did more to ensure the Australian victory than Lt. Bert Kienzle." But Bert's story is more than just about wartime Kokoda. From birth to death, his was an extraordinary life. 

Mr Leslie Bunn Glover- Leslie Bunn Glover, one of the last men standing of the POWs who survived the atrocities of the Death Camps of Sandakan and Kuching under their japanese Captives, will be sharing his life story. In his recently published memoirs, Leslie aged 92, recalls the horros he faced as a POW slave labourer for the Japanese. 

Professor Joy Damousi- A group who are often forgotten in our commemoration of war, mothers gave their sons in large numbers during the Great War. The ways in which mothers mourned, the sacrifices they made and the ways in which the government authorities attempted to publicly recognise their grief will be the subject of this lecture.