What's On - 31 January 2012

In April and May 1941, the 6th Australian Division fought valiant but ultimately unsuccessful campaigns in Greece and Crete. In June and July the same year, the 7th Australian Division fought an unexpectedly vicious and politically embarrassing campaign against men who had once been allies, the Vichy French, in Syria. This exhibition, incorporating contemporary portraits by Peter Wegner, celebrates the exploits of these brave Australians.

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