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Memorial Boxes

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra has kindly made six memorial boxes available to Social Education teachers via SEV. The boxes include information booklets and artefacts that students can handle. The Teachers' Notes in the boxes help teachers adapt the material to help students of all ages gain a better understanding of war and its impact on Australian society.
They can be borrowed for 2 1/2 weeks from SEV for a small handling and administrative fee which is further subsidised for SEV members.
Contact the SEV office on (03) 9349 4957 for bookings. Bookings will only be taken by phone.

Bookings are made for set periods of 2 1/2 weeks. There is maximum booking of two boxes per school (or other organisation) per year.

Bookings for 2010

Bookings for 2010 are now being taken. Bookings will be taken only by phone, and only for 2010 (i.e. no bookings for future years).

Booking periods for the remainder of 2010 will be:
Term 3: 14/7/10-30/7/10; 4/8/10-20/8/10; 25/8/10-10/9/10
Term 4: 6/10/10-22/10/10; 27/10/10-12/11/10 (booked out); 17/11/10-3/12/10

Box 1: Australia in the First World War

This box tells of the experience of Australians at war on Gallipoli, in the Middle East, and on the Western Front. It looks at the plight of soldiers, including those who were injured, captured or died.
Various home-front issues, such as the conscription debate and the repatriation of soldiers, are discussed. The box explores, through case studies and copies of correspondence, the sense of longing and loss experienced both by those who went away and by their loved ones who waited at home.

Box 2: Vietnam: the Australian experience

Australian servicemen and women in Vietnam were part of a multi-national Allied Force. However, the perspective that many young Australians have of this war is garnered from American film and television. This box aims to present schools with the Australian experience of the conflict – who went, why, what they did, how they persevered and the response at home.

Box 3: Too Dark for the Light Horse: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Defence Forces

This box explores the contribution made by Indigenous Australians during the First and Second World Wars. It traces the evolving attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women and their valued role in time of war.
The case studies highlight the bravery and contribution of Indigenous people at a time in our history when they were making sacrifices on behalf of a country in which they were marginalised.

Box 4: Australia Under Attack!

This box looks at events in the Second World War, a time when Australia came under direct attack. These events include the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour, the bombing of Darwin, and attacks on merchant shipping. Maps and information sheets indicate the extent of this impact on each state.
The wider impact of war on Australian life is also discussed - separation, civil defence, rationing, air raids and evacuations, and the government’s austerity campaign. The social impact of the influx of thousands of American defence personnel is also examined.

Box 5: We Want to Do More: The Experience of Women and Children during the Second World War

This box explores the new opportunities for women in the workforce during 1942-45. Women enlisted in services and jobs previously belonging to men and carried out these essential services with pride and competence. The emotional and physical impact of the war on children and the contribution they made to the war effort are considered; the turmoil associated with loss, evacuation and uncertainty is also investigated.

Box 6: Our War in the Pacific, 1942

This box considers some of the critical events of 1942: the fall of Singapore, the battle of the Coral Sea, the Kokoda Trail, and the defence of Milne Bay. These momentous air, land and sea battles were fought close to Australia's shores in a desperate attempt to curb the Japanese advance. The box also looks at the guerrilla war fought on Timor and the experience of Australians who became prisoners of war in 1942.
The box examines Australia’s changing relationships with her allies and the political and military tensions which developed between them during this difficult year.