CANBERRA: CENTRE OF AUSTRALIA’S COLLECTIVE MEMORY

CANBERRA: CENTRE OF AUSTRALIA'S COLLECTIVE MEMORY

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 A.I.F…”Exciting times are looming.”

ELLIS CORK A.I.F..."Exciting times are looming."

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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Percy Burge…..Stitches In Difficult Times

Percy Burge.....Stitches In  Difficult Times

Susan Stephens from Lapstone  in the Blue  Mountains  treasures a  hand knitted  jumper brought home from WWI by her grandfather, Hedley Stephens.  Fighting in France in May 1916,  Corporal Stephens went ‘over the top’ with a senior officer to check on their men.  The  pair were severely

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BATTLEFIELD BLOOMS

BATTLEFIELD BLOOMS

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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