Queensland brings ANZAC legacy to new generations
Uncovering key moments and stories, and never-before-seen photographs are just some of the ways a five-year state wide initiative is providing Queenslanders with opportunities to learn and contribute to bringing history to life and a renewed WWI and Anzac legacy for future generations.
Photo: State Library of Queensland – Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation
The Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation initiative highlights stories of courage, resilience, sacrifice and duty from the home front and the war front immortalise the Anzac spirit.
“They are written into the historical record and into the heart of our culture. Interwoven through the years is the lived experience of pride, pain and loss that affected the whole of our society,” the project says.
Through different events and workshops, online toolkits and a resource hub for students and educators, the initiative is encouraging the community to get involved.
You can also ‘find your soldier’ and discover what was happening a hundred years ago through the ‘#onthisday’ section. Volunteers have been identifying and correcting the text of newspaper articles related to WWI from digitised Queensland newspapers, and snippets are shared on WWI Centenary blog and social media.
More than 57,000 Queenslanders served in the First World War and although those who directly experienced the war are no longer here, their personal memories have moved into the realm of history leaving traces in objects, words and images.
Many Queensland experiences were shared by all Australians, however many experiences are unique to Queensland. Through the John Oxley Library, the State Library of Queensland has been collecting First World War diaries, letters, photographs and historically significant items since it opened its doors in 1934. Some of these are shared as digital stories on the website.
Visitors to the State Library of Queensland can also see first hand scrapbooks, letters, photographs and postcards from SLQ’s First World War collections. As part of the program, the Library is hosting Duty and Care in the Treasures Wall, a powerful collection of examples of women’s wartime experiences.
Understand the lives and relationships of Queensland women through treasured mementos of shared experiences, and their contribution as fundraisers, correspondents, performers, and providers of comfort and care.
The Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation project hopes by uncovering our past, connecting stories, and capturing contemporary commemorations across Queensland, new knowledge, skills and online resources can be built.
“This will create a digital legacy for future generations to gain greater understanding of the Queensland experiences during and after the First World War,” it says.
Visit the website to find out more.
