War & Play

The following day, my father & I travelled by bus to the Australian War Memorial. I didn’t have enough time to visit the place during my first visit to Canberra so it was a good suggestion on my dad’s part. The complex is the country’s national memorial to the members of all Australia’s armed forces who have participated and/or died in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia. The memorial opened in 1941 during the Second World War and is divided into 3 parts: the Commemorative Area (shrine) that includes the Hall of Memory & Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier; the Memorial's galleries (museum); and Research Centre (records).

The sun was shining brightly as my father & I walked across several lawns to get to the memorial. Before entering, we walked around the complex looking at several military armaments on display such as: artillery cannons, ship guns, and even a Centurion tank. The tank on display made me think that I should have gone tank driving in New Zealand first instead of tandem skydiving.

The military museum is divided into 10 large exhibitions: Colonial Conflicts, WWI, WWII, Conflicts 1945 to Today, The Dioramas, Hall of Valour, Aircraft Hall, ANZAC Hall, Discovery Zone (for children), and Over The Front. (I should really say 11 because the Gift Shop is sort of like an exhibition). You should set aside at least 3 hours to visit them all. You have to turn over any large backpacks as well as cameras before entering the museum so my father & I were unable to take any photographs of the exhibitions.

The Colonial Conflicts exhibition focuses on Australia’s early military history, from European settlement to the African Boer War. This leads into the WWI exhibition, focusing on Australia’s contributions in Gallipoli, Sinai-Palestine, and the Western Front. Here visitors can read original letters and view photographs and works of art by soldiers and war journalists. There is also a large 3D map of the Gallipoli Peninsula that shows where major battles between Allied & Turkish soldiers. But my favourites were the model dioramas that depicted WWI battles.

Following the museum map we walked to ANZAC Hall which contains the museum’s largest collection pieces such as a Lancaster Bomber & a Japanese midget submarine. These two collection pieces are used as backdrops in two separate sound & light shows. The Over The Front exhibition is also located here and tells the story of aerial combat during WWI. Before leaving ANZAC Hall, we grabbed a quick bite to each at The Landing Place Café.

The Aircraft Hall is exactly what it sounds like: various aircraft on display. But these are classic life size aircraft such as: Mosquito, Kittyhawk, P51 Mustang, Japanese Zero, MiG-15, and an Avro Anson. These aircraft appear a lot bigger in person than on TV.

From here, my father & I ventured into the WWII exhibition in the reverse order but that didn’t phase us. We already knew that the Allies had won the conflict. The gallery is divided into six areas: 1939, 1940-41, 1942, 1942-1944, 1943-44, & 1944-45. Here you’ll find many maps, photos, videos, letters, clothes, and captured Axis equipment (vehicles, weapons, and flags with swastikas).

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to walk through the Conflicts 1945 to Today exhibition but we’ll do that the next time the family visits Canberra. The exhibition looks at the Korean War, Vietnam War, peacekeeping operations, the Persian Gulf Wars, and War in Afghanistan. You can also walk onto the bridge of the decommissioned HMAS Brisbane.

The upper level of the memorial contains the Hall of Memory, Roll of Honour, and a Reflection Pool. Taking a photograph of the entire upper level is a challenge because there are always people walking around. In fact, taking pictures of grand views from & around the War Memorial is a challenge if you don’t want tourists walking into the photo. You pretty much have to time it right. Overall, the Australian War Memorial is a first class place to visit & revisit.

In the evening, my brother was off with his friends celebrating the completion of their studies. As for my parents & I, we had bought the last tickets to the last performance of the famous Agatha Christie play, ‘And Then There Were None’ being put on by the Canberra Repertory Society. But before enjoying the theatre, we stopped into the Fellows Bar & Café for a drink. The place was surprisingly full of people but we were able to find a seat and order a pitcher of beer for about $10AUD and two fish & chips plates for several dollars more. After the delicious meal & drinks, we made our way to the theatre, watching rabbits run across campus lawns.

And Then There Were None is a detective novel by Agatha Christie where ten people, who have previously been complicit in the deaths of others but have escaped notice or punishment, are tricked into coming onto an island, where they’re mysteriously murdered one by one according to the old nursery rhyme ‘Ten Little Soldiers’. On stage, there were 10 small statues sitting on a shelf and when a character is killed, a statue disappears. Since you’re focused on the death scene, you don’t see the statue disappearing.

I had a clear view of the stage from where I was sitting and I noticed that every seat in the theatre was occupied. I found it ‘interesting’ that the audience laughed at each death scene rather than gasp in horror. Maybe they were so shocked that all they could do was laugh? Overall, the acting was well done and the deaths looked realistic but not gory. I was right about how the play would end but I won’t spoil it in this post. However, what I didn’t like was the fact that you had to buy the program. No theatre/musical production should make its customers buy the program booklet separately.