THE INSIDER
DIANNE
Rutherford
The Australian War Memorial’s Curator on how the cultural heart of the nation’s capital is bringing history to life.
THE INSIDER
DIANNE
Rutherford
The Australian War Memorial’s Curator on how the cultural heart of the nation’s capital is bringing history to life.
In the bowels of the Australian War Memorial (AWM), Dianne Rutherford handles a rusty mess tin recovered from Gallipoli in 1919. Shrapnel and bullets have warped the mess tin, which was part of the AWM’s collection for 90 years before Dianne made a discovery that turned the historical artefact into a moving story.
In writing so faint it had been missed for almost a century, Dianne realised there was a name scratched on the base of the tin. And so began her hunt to discover more about its long-dead owner.
Australian War Memorial Curator Dianne Rutherford.
Bringing history to life
with the stories behind the artefacts is Dianne’s passion.
Australian War Memorial Curator Dianne Rutherford.
The mess tin found on the battlefield in 1919.
Private Eric Walker's name is scratched on the base.
Bringing history to life with the stories behind the artefacts is Dianne’s passion. It’s a passion she shares with those taking part in the Cultural Attractions of Australia Soul of the Nation tour, which is tailored to meet the interests of visitors — no matter their nationality.
Soul of the Nation begins with a 90-minute guided journey through the AWM, which was opened in 1941 to serve as a memorial, a museum, and an archive. Australia’s official war correspondent in the Great War, Charles Bean, led the call for the establishment of the AWM.
Bean landed on the beach at Gallipoli with the ANZACs. Having witnessed the horror of war, he wanted to ensure those back home understood what war involved, and had a place to remember those lost and buried overseas. By the time the AWM was completed, World War II had begun and the ‘Great War to end all wars’ became known as World War I.
—— Charles Bean
Volunteer guides, including Krista Vane-Tempest, undergo months of training to enable them to maximise the visitor experience on the Soul of the Nation tour. Krista explains that the architecturally designed sandstone building is rich with symbolism and its location is no fluke. The line of sight between the memorial and Parliament House is uninterrupted.
Volunteer guide Krista Vane-Tempest.
The Australian War Memorial.
People
who make decisions up there will look back here and think of the consequences of their decisions.
The Australian War Memorial.
‘The idea is that the people who make decisions up there will look back here and think of the consequences of their decisions,’ Krista explains.
Soul of the Nation begins at the Commemorative Courtyard, its upper walls lined with the Roll of Honour that lists the names of more than 103,000 men and women who have sacrificed their lives whilst in Australia’s armed services.
The walls are a sea of red from the poppies placed next to the names by visitors in remembrance of those lives lost. The Hall of Memory is next; a towering cupola housing the grave of The Unknown Australian Soldier; one of the 45,000 Australians who died on the Western Front in World War I.
The First World War Gallery. Photo Credit: Australian War Memorial.
The Hall of Memory, which houses the grave of the Unknown Australian Soldier.
Listen
to the eulogy delivered by then Prime Minister Paul Keating At the funeral service of the Unknown Australian Soldier.
The Commemorative Area of The Australian War Memorial.
The hall’s striking mosaic and stained-glass windows were designed by artist Mervyn Waller, who lost his right-arm fighting in France in 1917 and had to retrain himself to draw again with his left hand.
‘He said, “An artist draws with his head, not with his hands”,’ Krista adds.
The AWM’s collection begins with the sobering display of one of the lifeboats strafed by bullets at the Gallipoli landing, the first battle that Australia fought as a newly federated country. It continues in order, ending with the Afghanistan conflict.
Throughout this moving experience, Krista is able to point out rich details that are likely missed without the expertise of a guide, such as how the gallery lighting waxes and wanes to reflect the mood of the nation during different stages of the conflicts.
The First World War Gallery. Image credit: Australian War Memorial.
‘It's not always that easy. I compare it to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. There's lots of different pieces, and if you are lucky, you can get enough of those pieces together to make a picture and to tell a story,’ Dianne says.
In the case of the mess tin, Dianne got lucky. Making the assumption its owner had died at Lone Pine, Dianne searched the service records and found a Private Eric Walker was killed there in 1915. After comparing the writing on the base of the mess tin with Eric’s signature on his enlistment papers, Dianne knew she had a match.
‘Even with those bare bones, that clinched it. Eric was 20 when he enlisted, he was underage, and he got the permission from his parents. He died at 21. Now if you think about his poor parents, I guess on one level they would've been proud of what he did, but nonetheless, they agreed to let him go and that adds an extra level of sadness,’ Dianne says as she handles his mess tin. ‘It really links you back to why we are here; to remember what happened and make sure people aren't forgotten.’
Then it’s time for participants to go behind the scenes with Dianna, donning gloves and touching historical objects that have been selected to meet their interests or that, like the mess tin, bring history to life.
Visitors can lay a wreath during The Last Post ceremony.
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