In the lead up to this Remembrance Day, the HISTORY channel will premiere a stunning landmark documentary series The Memorial: Beyond the Anzac Legend on Tuesday, November 4 at 7.30pm.
Hosted by international broadcaster and renowned historian Neil Oliver, this remarkable five-part series follows Neil as he takes viewers on a never-before-seen look inside the Australian War Memorial, bringing to life Australia’s rich wartime history through the artefacts and stories housed within its walls.
Over the past 12 months, the series producers have been granted unprecedented access to the museum, closely capturing the working life of Australia’s most iconic military institution as it approaches one of the most important years in the War Memorial’s history: the commemoration of the Centenary of Service.
The fly-on-the-wall series follows the War Memorial as it races to complete its $32 million renovations of the First World War Gallery in time for Remembrance Day, 2014.
As we mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War, this timely series also provides a contemporary discussion on the meaning of remembrance, 100 years on.
The Memorial will introduce us to the people of the museum, from the Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson, to the conservators whose job it is to protect our nation’s most prized relics, to the extraordinary front-of-house team who look after everyone from school children to visiting dignitaries from around the world.
Also featured are candid interviews between Neil Oliver and some of Australia’s leading political figures, to hear their personal reflections on this momentous anniversary and how important the role of the Australian War Memorial is. These include Prime Minister Tony Abbott and former Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, John Howard and Paul Keating.
The Memorial will also feature interviews with VC recipients Mark Donaldson and Ben Robert Smith, Governor General Peter Cosgrove and former Governor General Quentin Bryce.
Throughout his acclaimed career, Neil Oliver has explored museum vaults and memorials across the globe, investigating history from different perspectives and locations.
In The Memorial, he delves in to the heart of the Australian War Memorial, uncovering an extraordinary treasure trove of our nation’s war history and unraveling the stories of our fighting forces housed within its walls.
Travelling to Gallipoli as well as the Western Front, Neil will also reveal the incredible stories behind the soldiers’ names on the War Memorial’s sacred Roll of Honour.
“It is always an incredible opportunity to go behind the scenes of a museum and I feel very privileged the door of the Australian War Memorial was opened to me.” said Oliver.
“I know viewers will be as fascinated as I was in discovering so much about Australia’s Great War, especially in such an important year.”