In an astonishing piece of musical teamwork, The Requiem has been composed by seven contemporary Australian composers working with Chris Latham on existing and new pieces. Composers Nigel Westlake, Elena Kats-Chernin, Richard Mills, Graeme Koehne, Ross Edwards, Andrew Schultz and Christopher Latham have all written movements.

Details
Time: 7pm
Date: Wednesday 26 September, 2018
Location: St Paul’s Cathedral, 209 Flinders Lane

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Learn more about ordering a House Plaque

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The 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheeba, a significant battle during World War One which involved the Australian Lighthorse Brigade, will be commemorated with a series of events at the Shrine of Remembrance this month.

At dusk on 31 October 1917, the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade executed a successful mounted charge against entrenched Turkish forces at Beersheba, Isreal. Defying the odds, the mounted soldiers struck a decisive blow at the Battle of Beersheba and secured a place in military history.

To commemorate the centenary of the battle and the legend of the Australian Light Horse, there will be a special wreath laying service on Tuesday, 31 October on the Shrine Forecourt at 11am, supported by a procession of horses and riders in Light Horse uniform. The Shrine are also hosting an exhibition and a special talk by Dr David Holloway OAM who will reflect on the legendary attack.

Learn more

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Ibuki banners available for display

A free, simple to install exhibition display outlining the story of the Japanese battle cruiser Ibuki is available from the Veterans Branch, Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Four pop-up banners tell the story of the Japanese escort Ibuki on the First Convoy of troopships from Australia to the Middle East in 1914. Japan’s role on the side of the allies in World War One is often forgotten, but the exhibition brings to light the history of the Ibuki’s involvement, and includes photographic images of the Ibuki, her crew and other convoy escorts on that historic journey.

The exhibition display is available at no cost to organisations, such as libraries, historical societies, schools and ex-service organisations and may be of particular interest to schools or organisations offering Japanese language, history and culture courses. The display text is in both English and Japanese.

Borrowing organisations are asked to arrange pickup and return of the exhibition display to the Department of Premier and Cabinet in East Melbourne. Bookings for the exhibition display can be made by emailing anzaccentenary@dpc.vic.gov.au or phoning (03) 9651 2023.

The banners are 2 metres high and 1 metre wide and installation instructions are included. Two of the four banners join together to form the central part of the display (see image above). A flyer is also available which includes sources for further information.

The Ibuki – A4 Flyer PDF

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The match was dubbed the Pioneer Exhibition Game, and it was played at London’s Queens Club, a venue now known for its tennis competitions. Back then though it was the scene for what was regarded at the first international match of Australian Rules football.

Yet for all its novelty, there has been precious little time spent on how the game came to be played, who were the guiding lights behind the match and just how important sport, and particularly football, was to the men in uniform. Now, for the first time, the story can be told.

It began with three men – an Australian general, an Olympic swimmer and a Richmond footballer. Together, they created the match that would draw more than 5000 people to the Queens Club, many of them Diggers who had found a way to get leave to see footy for the first time since they had left home.

The idea for the game came from Richmond ruckman Hughie James, who was serving with the 3^rd Pioneers. The plan was hatched one cool evening when the Diggers were undergoing training in England, before leaving for the Western Front. Once legendary Australian general Sir John Monash heard the idea he instantly backed it. Monash had always believed in the power of sport to boost morale and keep soldiers fit for war. His 3^rd Division, which included James’ Pioneers, was cooling its heels in England. There needed to be something to concentrate the minds of his men while they waited for the signal to cross the Channel.

Monash turned to Olympic swimmer Frank Beaurepaire, who was attached to the YMCA in England, to organise the match. Beaurepaire was well-known to Monash: he had delivered a number of recreations for Monash’s troops, including boxing tournaments, a cinema behind the lines, and even a musical troupe. But this game would prove a lasting legacy.

The teams were drawn from the 3^rd Division and what was called the Training Units, which was a selection of the soldiers who delivered training to the rest of the AIF at Salisbury. Together, the teams represented every football state, and included some extraordinarily talented men who had forsaken footy for their national duty – South Melbourne’s Bruce Sloss and Carl Willis, St Kilda’s Percy Jory, Collingwood’s Dan Minogue, Richmond’s James and Geelong’s Billy Orchard were among them.

The match was held on October 28, 1916, the same day as the first conscription referendum took place in Australia. The rich irony behind this coincidence was that sportsmen – and particularly footballers – were subjected to a loud campaign to give up playing and enlist.

Just how bitter and divisive that campaign became has been one of hidden stories of World War I.  Footballers were reviled in some quarters because they took money to play. Spectators who paid to watch them were damned for supporting the game. But for those footballers who went to war – and those who played in the Exhibition match – nothing would be the same again.

For the full story behind the Pioneer Exhibition match, see The Game of Their Lives by Nick Richardson, published by Macmillan, RRP $34.99, available now.

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In May 2016, UK Consul General Gareth Hoar met with Minister for Veterans John Eren to discuss the completed research, which was made possible through a UK Government grant to the Victorian Government.

Learn more about the Miltiades research project.

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Learn more and enter the competition

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Minister for Veterans John Eren announced on Friday 18 March 2016 a trial program that will connect today’s households with Victoria’s wartime legacy.

The trial will be available to select households  in Williamstown, Hawthorn, Geelong and Ballarat. Selected households will be contacted directly and invited to participate.

Many Victorians have a connection with World War I. More than 110,000 Victorians answered their nation’s call and enlisted in the war between 1914 and 1918. The rich legacy of our servicemen and women has been captured and preserved by historical writings, research programs and databases.

The Victorian Government has identified 400 houses that were home to a World War I participant, and is now inviting current homeowners to purchase a plaque to commemorate their property’s place in our history. The plaques will cost $70.

Our veterans deserve the greatest respect, and the Anzac Centenary House Plaque Trial Project is another fitting tribute to our servicemen and women.

The Victorian Government will assess the success of the trial before deciding whether to roll it out across the state.

If you want to check if a soldier or nurse lived in your home, in 1914-18, then visit the AIF Project, and search under your address. Make sure to tick the box to check on next of kin’s address too, as so many of those who enlisted were very young and still living in their parent’s home. The search results may also bring up others who lived in your street – make sure you share this information with your neighbours!

Plaques at this stage will be restricted to the trial areas.

However If you would like to register your interest to participate if the project is rolled out statewide, please email us at anzaccentenary@dpc.vic.gov.au and we will keep your contact details for further information in the future.

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