Calendar of Events

We celebrate the beginning¬† of our 2013 year by having 'A Special Supper' and screening¬† one of those superb Royal Navy DVDs'. These were supplied to us by our good friend ,David Mc Fall of the Maritime Model Museum Mona Vale, and it would be a great pity not¬† to share¬† this treat, and so […]

Join Professor Paul James as he discusses the complicated nature of Peace through history and in contemporary times. War and peace seem to always occur in serial order with peace trailing behind - and it is not just because of Tolstoy. Nobody knows how to define peace. The definition of peace is usually only done […]

Opening by CAPT Michael Harris, RAN, former CO of Melbourne III.¬† By invitation to MHHV and RHSV members and descendants of crew.¬† Guests can view the exhibition; exhibition catalogues for sale. Official opening of the Fear God and Honour the King: HMAS Melbourne 1912-1928 Exhibition at RHSV, A‚ÄôBeckett Street, Melbourne CBD 5.30-6.30 Opening by CAPT […]

Tim Whitford and John Gribben take their presentation on the road to visit the community of Shepparton.¬† During the Second World War thousands of Prisoners of War, ‚Äòenemy aliens‚Äô and Australians of German, Japanese and Italian descent found themselves imprisoned inside a huge POW/Internment Camp complex in farmland in Victoria‚Äôs Goulburn Valley. In the years […]

Dr Rosalind Hearder will reflect on the work of the 106 Australian medical officers in Japanese captivity during the Second World War.Caring for their fellow 22,000 prisoners, one-third of whom died in captivity, this small group of men fought incredible odds to save so many. Dr Hearder will examine the unique challenges faced by these […]

Peter Burness, a Senior Historian at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, will discuss bravery in battle, with a special look at Australians’ experiences in the First World War.  He will also discuss the various honours and awards that have recognised special acts of bravery.

Talk by historian Ian Frazer, former Lecturer at Otago Univesity and co-author of ‚ÄòOn the run - Anzac escape and evasion in enemy-occupied Crete‚Äô.In the Battle of Crete in May 1941, the 2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion, fought with much honour, including a last-ditch stand at ‚Äò42nd Street‚Äô in the final days of the battle. Fighting […]

Dr David Holloway, author of Endure and Fight, an History of the 4th Light Horse Regiment, will speak about the regiment, unique in the AIF as the only unit to fight on each of the three major fronts involving Australian troops. In describing how this came about, Dr Holloway follows the regiment from Melbourne to […]

Many of us know Vietnam Veterans as kind people in caravans, the nice man at the bowling club or as ‚Äògrandpa‚Äô. But for almost four decades it has been a tough journey home. Now, many former service men finally feel comfortable enough about their service in this controversial war to share their stories through the […]

Presented by Catherine McCullagh On Friday 14 May 1943, while the east coast of Australia lay in the darkness of the wartime blackout, a brightly lit vessel cruised north, a floating beacon against the blackened sea. The 2/3rd Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was 40 miles east of Brisbane, heading for New Guinea to take on […]

The Western Flanders region of the Western Front is indelibly linked with Australians at war and Anzac. Ghent based Belgian researchers, Birger Stichelbaut and Jean Bourgeois will talk about the application of large numbers of historical aerial photographs in Great War conflict archaeology.¬† Their research is based on the interpretation and mapping of more than […]

The Anniversary of Pompey‚Äôs 135th Birthday MAJ GEN Harold ‚ÄòPompey‚Äô Elliott Day The Anniversary of Pompey‚Äôs 135th Birthday, 19th June 2103 at the Ballarat Ranger Military Museum (Ranger Barracks, Corner Sturt St & Ring Rd, Ballarat. Enter via Ring Rd gate) Maj Gen Harold Edward Elliott CB, CMG, DSO, DCM, VD: Student at Ballarat College […]