Victorians at War Website
A collaboration between the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the State Library of Victoria, this website explores the important role Victorians have played in the last century serving their country.
The Valuing Our Veterans: Victorian Oral History Project started in early 2000 when the Department of Veterans' Affairs approached the State Library to undertake a series of interviews with Victorian veterans. As part of the selection criteria, all the interviewees had to be residents of Victoria. The Department of Veterans' Affairs supported the project by providing the State Library with a grant of over $30,000 from the Local Commemorative Activities Fund under the Federal Government's Their Service - Our Heritage commemorative program.
The aim of the project was to raise community awareness of the experiences and recollections of a number of Australians who served their country during times of war and conflict. The project involved two stages:
- Recording the stories of 19 veterans and one person who served on the homefront.
- Providing access to these stories through a website constructed by the State Library.
The Department of Veterans' Affairs selected 20 people who represented Australia's involvement in conflict during the 20th century. Dr Ina Bertrand recorded the interviews that were intended to cover the life of each person before, during and after their involvement in war. All the original tapes and preservation copies are held in the State Library's Australian Manuscripts Collection. Duplicates of the interview tapes are also held at the Australian War Memorial.
The valuable contribution of Aboriginal servicemen to the Australian war effort is recognised through the interviews with Ned Egglestone, Lester Marks Harradine and Glen James. Copies of these interviews are also available at the Koorie Heritage Trust.
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