Imagine, it is August 1914. The war in Europe has just been declared. Thousands of Australian men have flocked to the big cities and towns to enlist. Enlist not to defend our country from a ravaging horde of Germans wearing Pickelhaubs (pointy helmets) and long waxed moustaches storming across the border from German New Guinea,
Late in 2014 I was pondering the year ahead. I’d applied for the DVA ballot for the 2015 centenary of the landing at Anzac Cove. I had applied on behalf of my daughter and myself. I saw my daughter as a true ‘daughter of ANZAC’, a father dedicated to the history of the conflict, a
Being an avid historian of the Gallipoli Campaign and Australian history in general, I find it heartening to explore the alternative stories of ANZAC. On a recent trip back to Australia to visit my family and expose my young daughter Jasmin to her Aussie roots, I came across a fascinating story from my Brother-in-law Bill.