The Tour of the Australian War Memorial by Hilary P and Karen R, and then by Janice and Jeff B

I have two versions of experiences from the Tours of the Australian War Memorial. Firstly we have Hilary and Karen.

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We assembled in the outside sculpture garden where there is a beautiful sculpture of Simpson and his donkey. There have been recent renovations and additions to our War Memorial, however our tour was based on the earlier rooms. Karen and I were in a group with Del Madge as our guide. She started by thanking all Aussie Hero  volunteers, as she was a recipient of a quilt on her retirement a few years earlier. Despite living a long way from the Memorial she felt privileged to come to take us on our tour. We were very impressed with her stories.

The Roll of Honour with poppies and names is a daunting reminder of how many lives were lost in all the Wars listed. The names of the fallen are listed in order of Navy, Army and Airforce and alphabetical.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed in the domed chamber, the Hall of Memory, in 1993.  “He is all of them, but he is one of us”; a fitting quote.

We then walked to the Hall of Valour, where there are 102 Australians who have received the Victoria Cross and displays 10 George Cross. One such recipient was LCPL Jared McKinney of the 6^th battalion  who was killed by the Taliban on his third  deployment to the Middle East, during the Battle of Derapet.  During the Battle the Taliban was crushed, Jared paying the ultimate price. Daniel Keighran was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross  for his bravery as he exposed himself to Taliban fire to help secure victory. In more recent times Jared’s mates escorted his daughter to her formal. A touching story.

The stories around the bombing of Darwin were interesting, many people today don’t realise how serious the situation was. On 19 February 1942 the largest single armed attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australian soil happened. The same Japanese carrier fleet that attacked Pearl Harbour sent between 180 and 240 aircraft who struck Darwin in two separate waves to destroy allied airfields, post facilities and shipping to prevent them from contesting the invasion of Timor and Java. Darwin was not invaded as such, but there was a lot of building destruction, the MV  Neptune and the USS Peary were sunk and 235-252 people were killed and 300-400 were wounded. All up 20 ships were damaged as well as numerous aircraft. There were 64 raids all up.

Another story was that of Ordinary Seaman Edward (Teddy) Sheean, the only sailor awarded the VC. Teddy was wounded in 1942 whilst serving as an anti-aircraft loader on the HMAS Armidale in the Timor sea.  He strapped himself into the weapons harness and opened fire on the Japanese aircraft, disrupting their attack, and shooting down an enemy bomber. He is credited with saving 49 of his fellow crewmen. The ship sank in the battle. Teddy was born in Tasmania and was 18 when he died.

There are numerous stories,103,000 names.

The Pool of Reflection sets the scene for the Last Post ceremony which is held every afternoon to commemorate a member of the Armed Forces who have died serving their country.  Several people including Belinda Payne and FLTLT Greg Young laid wreaths during the ceremony. It was a truly moving event, which is performed every day at 4:30pm.  

Many of the group returned the next day to see more of the memorial. There is so much to see and hear. The new additions are remarkable. The guides are all very knowledgeable. They undertake a nine-month training course, which involves weekly Tuesday and Saturday sessions, short presentations, a written theory paper and an 80 minute assessed tour. After this they deliver 12 public tours and have a performance review before graduating. There is a lot of history to remember. We thanked our guide and returned to the Rex for dinner.

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Written by Janice Bartlett, volunteer since March 2025 & husband, Jeff, this was our first AHQ weekend this was our first opportunity to meet other volunteers & their partners.

There were approximately 30 in our group. We met FLTLT Greg Young, who is also AHQ volunteer, in the courtyard at the Simpson & his Donkey statue. We split into 2 groups, Jeff ended up in one group & I was in the other. It’s been nearly 50 years since I was last at the Australian War Memorial, so there was quite a lot of changes to the displays. It has been less time since Jeff last visited.

Janice was in Rachel’s group. Rachel has completed a few tours of Afghanistan & has received an AHQ quilt, she spoke about how important her quilt was to her & to take it with her on those tours.

Rachel led us around the Roll of Honor for WWI, sharing the stories of some of the men who gave their lives during that conflict. Then we visited the Hall of Memory & the tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, whose interment coincided with the 75^th anniversary of Armistice Day. The Hall of Memory has mosaic tiled walls, a dome ceiling & stained-glass windows depicting the men of the armed services & nurses, it’s beautiful to see. On the other side is the Roll of Honor for WWII & the following conflicts. Rachel shared a moving story of a fallen soldier she served with in Afghanistan.

We walked through the displays of artworks & memorabilia for WWI, hearing the what the soldiers faced at the landing at Gallipoli, the landscape & conditions prisoners of war faced. It was interesting to see the evolution of military vehicles & vessels, equipment & technology throughout the years.

We finished the tour with the Last Post Ceremony, AHQ members, Bel P & FLTLT Greg Young laid a wreath, on behalf of AHQ, at the Pool of Reflection.

Jeff’s perspective of the tour is as a veteran, the tours are ably led by volunteers, both civilian and military, helping to overcome the “civilian-military divide” whereby veterans sometimes struggle with the feeling everyday Australians do not understand what the veterans have gone through.  The success of which comes when after such “litmus paper” tours, scratching the surface of what exists within the AWM, results in the relevant persons staying longer at the AWM or coming back more frequently, to fully absorb what it means to be an Australian Defence Force veteran.

Personally, of all the other duties the AWM undertakes, including protecting the record, it is our sanctuary for Grief and Remembrance that is most precious to me.  The AWM is our ADF veteran spiritual home and sanctuary.  Wherever you are around the world, if you are participating in an Australian Defence Force remembrance ceremony, as a Vet or Australian citizen, as you pause for your personal minute of reflection, you are transferred in spirit to the AWM, that accepts your personal tribute, at the eternal flame. The flame serves as a perpetual symbol of national gratitude and an unbroken promise never to forget the service and sacrifice of the more than 100,000 Australians who have died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. The combination of fire and water in the courtyard creates a tranquil space designed for quiet contemplation. I think of my family, who have served, generationally continuously since my pop landed at Gallipoli. 

Lest we forget.  

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Assorted photos from the tours

Till next time.. keep spreading the word and happy stitching!

Jan-Maree xx