July at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance
Fromelles and Pozières
100th Anniversary Commemorative Services
This month we mark the centenary of the actions at Fromelles and Pozières on the Western Front in 1916. These two battles engaged all Australian Divisions on active service and resulted in staggering casualties, over 5,500 at Fromelles and some 23,000 at Pozières. The Fromelles service will be held on Tuesday 19 July, 1.30pm, at the Cobbers Statue. The Pozières service will take place in the Sanctuary the following Sunday, 24 July, at 10am.
Fromelles and Pozières Panel Discussion
Friday 22 July, 2pm arrival for 2.30pm start
Join historians and authors Dr Ross McMullin and Christopher Wray in discussion with Shrine Curator Neil Sharkey as they compare these two extraordinary battles. Bookings are required to reserve your seat. Entry is by donation.
Ceremonies
Bastille Day
Thursday 14 July, 11.30am
Wreath laying on the Forecourt
The Association Des Anciens Combattants Francais De Victoria holds a commemorative service each year on Bastille Day (14 July), the French National Day, to honour the service of French and Australian soldiers.
Korean Veterans
Wednesday 27 July, 1pm
Wreath laying in the Sanctuary
Australians served in the Army, Navy, and Air Force in the defence of South Korea between 1950 and 1953. After the armistice was signed, significant Australian forces remained in Korea until 1957. Over 17,000 Australians served in Korea and its surrounding waters: 356 were killed and over 1,500 were wounded.
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam
Sunday 31 July, 12pm
Wreath laying in the Sanctuary
A service is held to honour the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) on the Sunday closest to 31 July each year. This date marks the arrival of the AATTV in Saigon in 1962.
Talks and Events
Entry to public programs at the Shrine are by donation.
Download or stream our talks at shrine.org.au/podcasts
Marvellous Messages: Communicating in Wartime
Monday 27 June – Friday 8 July
Weekdays: 10.15am and 1.15pm, self-guided on weekends
Suitable for children aged 6 to 10 years
Can you decipher the coded message in the walls of our courtyard? Discover the fascinating ways, both openly and secretly, that service people have communicated with each other, headquarters and home. Children will be given an opportunity to create a mysterious message of their own.
The Battle of Long Tan:
50th Anniversary Reflections
Wednesday 27 July, 5.30am arrival for 6pm start
In the lead up to the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, join 6RAR Platoon Commander Dave Sabben as he discusses his experiences at Long Tan. Dave was called up in 1965, aged 20, for the first intake of Australia’s National Service scheme. He served with 6RAR first tour and has been awarded a Medal for Gallantry (MG). His illustrated presentation will encompass the prelude to the battle, the tactics used, the armour and chopper support, and the aftermath.
Architecture, Symbology and the Shrine
Open House Melbourne Talk
Sunday 31 July, 12pm
In late 2014, the Shrine unveiled the Galleries of Remembrance and a new Education Centre. Australia’s history of military service in peacekeeping and war has been incorporated throughout the design and symbology of these new spaces. Award winning architect and Founding Director of ARM Architecture, Ian McDougall, will discuss his involvement in the redevelopment project and the inspiration behind the design.
Bookings for this talk will open on 18 July, but a limited early release of tickets is available on our website for Lone Pine subscribers.
Open House Melbourne takes place on 30–31 July.
Exhibitions
Entry to exhibitions is by donation. All proceeds support the Shrine Education Program.
Australia’s Field Marshal: The Leadership of Sir Thomas Blamey
Opening 23 July
South Gallery, Galleries of Remembrance
No Australian commander has ever shouldered more responsibility, nor so divided public opinion, than Sir Thomas Blamey. Detractors describe him as ruthless, self-seeking and egotistical; they point to personal scandals and the damaged careers of the many capable soldiers who stood in his way. Supporters speak of a man who understood, better than any other Australian leader, the wider nature of war.
Pozières: Australians on the Somme 1916
4 March – 7 August 2016
Shrine Visitor Centre
Official historian Charles Bean described Poziѐres Ridge as being ‘more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on Earth.’ The story of Poziѐres is brought to life through photographs, works of art and artefacts on loan from the Australian War Memorial, the Imperial War Museum, private collectors and Victorian families.
1966: The year that changed the world
4 April 2016 – 2 July 2017
West Gallery, Galleries of Remembrance
1966 was the year that Australia sent a Task Force to Vietnam, the year the first National Servicemen served in the war, and the year of the battle of Long Tan. Australia felt the heat of the Cold War and the throes of a youth revolution, in the year the first baby boomers came of age. Fifty years on, this exhibition tells the story of a year that changed Australia and the world.
For more information on these and other activities at The Shrine, visit here.
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