What's On - 2 March 2012

Contemporary drawings by Craig Barrett, inspired by the works of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen; British soldier/poets renowned for their evocative and insightful war poetry reflecting experiences on the Western Front during the First World War (1914-18). Craig created this exhibition, of large scale drawings in charcoal and coloured washes, specifically for the atmospheric surrounds of the Hall of Columns. His shadowy images, looming in the dimness, respond to the stark and melancholy themes of the poems and the universal suffering they represent.

Japan achieved a series of victories in Malaya, Singapore, Rabaul, Java, Ambon and Timor in the six month period following its declaration of war in December 1941. Thousands of Australian men and women died serving in these territories and many more became prisoners of war. 70 years have passed since these momentous events shocked Australia out of complacency and brought the war to our doorstep. The Shrine remembers these anniversaries in an exhibition which commemorates Australia’s darkest days - from Japan’s entry into the Second World War until the battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, when Japan suffered its first setback and the tide of the war in the Pacific began to turn.

Ex POW Walter Hicks speech from the launch of the exhibition

This exhibition will tell the stories of Cass' service over two wars, the Boer War
(1899-1902) and the First World War (1914-18) at Gallipoli, Krythia and later in Fromelles. These events were interwoven with the personal stories of Cass and his wife, Helena, a Canadian war nurse, who married after the Battle of Fromelles in 1916. The outstanding collection of Cass' personal photographs, letters and diaries, uniforms and medals provide the content for this exhibition.