This piece was originally published in The Australian newspaper it has been substantially updated since then. CANBERRA – THE PLANNED CAPITAL Many Australians are ambivalent about the planned city of Canberra. Its monolithic buildings stand a little too far apart in their park like surroundings, and can
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Ellis Cork was born in Bomaderry, NSW. He enlisted in the 31st Battalion of the A.I.F in December 1915, when he was 18 years old. In camp awaiting embarkation for active service, Ellis wrote to his young cousin, Grace. He expressed his excitement about signing up, but
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Enlistment rallies, anti-war demonstrations, peace celebrations. Yes, Sydney’s Martin Place has long been associated with Australia’s military history. From the Sydney Morning Herald on August 5, 1915; MARTIN PLACE CROWDS GROWING LARGER – ELOQUENT APPEALS Each day the crowds of people who come to hear the speakers
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During World War One, seventy seven men from the small Blue Mountains community of Blackheath, NSW volunteered to serve. Their names are engraved on the local war memorial. Six were killed in action; H. CULLEN, R. MURRAY, J. SKEEN, D. SPRAGUE, J. STEENSON, & R. THOMPSON.
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On April 26 1915, the day after the dawn landing at Gallipoli, Sapper Duncan McRae (2nd Field Co. of Engineers) was shot in the shoulder by a Turkish sniper. He was evacuated to Egypt and from there to a military hospital in England. Unfortunately it was
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Much has been written about the mysterious ‘Mr Eternity’, Arthur Stace, who chalked his famous one word sermon throughout the streets of Sydney. Less well known is the fact that Stace served in France during World War I and that, as with so many veterans, the experience
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FLORAL MEMENTOES OF WAR The Gallipoli Rose (Cistus salvifolius) was the Australian War Memorial’s first commemorative plant. It grew on the bloody battlefields of Gallipoli. The sight of the flowers lifted the spirits of the Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), who brought home the seeds.
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