Hide and Seek: The History of Camouflage
Shrine of Remembrance
Uncover the world of camouflage with author and academic Professor Ann Elias. Explore the artists, creatives, and naturalists who shaped camouflage techniques during conflict, the challenges they faced, and how their creative contributions influenced the Australian military. From face paint to full scale deception, you’ll discover there’s more to camouflage than meets they eye.
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Shrine Stories: The Lotus Shoes
Shrine of Remembrance
These detailed, intricate shoes may look beautiful, but they have a horrific history. In this episode of Shrine Stories, join Exhibitions Coordinator Katrina Nicolson as she uncovers the story behind a pair of Lotus shoes on display in our galleries, and their unlikely link to stories of service. WARNING: This episode contains themes that may be distressing for some audience. Listener discretion is advised.
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Shrine Stories: The Shrine Guard
Shrine of Remembrance
If you've been to a service at the Shrine, you will have seen our Shrine Guard dressed in their distinct uniform. And this year marks 90 years of their service to the Shrine. In this episode you'll uncover how the Shrine Guard were formed, what their role looks like today, and importantly, how long it takes to shine their shoes with Senior Protective Services Officer David Rose'Meyer.
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Taste of Combat: Major Ruth Hayes OAM & Captain Brett Williams (Retd)
Shrine of Remembrance
The saying goes, ‘an army marches on its stomach’, but in theory what does this actually look like? How is food prepared in a makeshift kitchen during deployment? Who coordinates getting fresh food to these kitchens? And how are military chefs trained to withstand such a high-pressure environment in the face of conflict? Discover all this and more with Major Ruth Hayes OAM and Captain Brett Williams (Retd), who between them, have decades of experiences in the world of military catering.
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Taste of Combat: Ross Coad
Shrine of Remembrance
Ration packs are perhaps one of first things that spring to mind when we think of food in the military. But have you ever stopped to consider how they're developed? From their weight to their ability to be dropped from high altitutudes and withstand boiling and freezing climates, the science behind ration packs is incredibly complex. Ross Coad spent more than three decades working at the Defence Science and Technology Group in Scottsdale, Tasmania. This involved research on food packaging, food processing, the nutritional requirements of military personnel and, of course, ration packs....
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Taste of Combat: Commander John Goss
Shrine of Remembrance
What did you have for dinner last night? Imagine if we took your dinner plans, put it 100 metres below sea level, multiplied the mouths to feed to about 60 and took out any fresh fruit or vegetables. This was a daily reality for Commander John Goss during his career as a cook in the Navy. John’s story is one of many shared in the Shrine’s special exhibition Taste of Combat: The Evolution of Military Food, which uncovers often-invisible service of catering for the military and the challenges, research and innovation involved in feeding the forces. Listen as John unpacks his career and how...
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Shrine Stories: The Colquhoun Painting
Shrine of Remembrance
Images of the Shrine of Remembrance today are abundant, but depictions of its construction are rare treasures. In this episode of Shrine Stories, Collections Coordinator Toby Miller delves into Alexander Colquhoun’s painting of the Shrine being built, uncovering its artistic significance and the personal grief woven into its story.
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Shrine Stories: The Christmas Message
Shrine of Remembrance
Have you ever wondered how mail was received by soldiers on the front line? In this festive edition of Shrine Stories, Exhibitions Coordinator Katrina Nicolson uncovers a unique Christmas message and unpacks just how complex it was to coordinate wartime post.
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Shrine Stories: The Ray of Light
Shrine of Remembrance
In this episode, we delve into the fascinating history of the Shrine's Ray of Light. This feature was meticulously calculated so at 11am on November 11, a beam of sunlight would shine through a hole in the Shrine's roof and illuminate the word 'love' etched into the Stone of Remembrance. However, the introduction of daylight savings in 1971 threw a spanner in the works, causing the light to hit the stone an hour late. Join us as we explore how Frank Johnston, a surveyor and RMIT lecturer, worked on a solution to this problem and has continued to keep the light shining 50 years on.
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Shrine Stories: The False Teeth
Shrine of Remembrance
Uncover a story of determination and ingenuity as Shrine curator Neil Sharkey reveals the story behind these aluminium false teeth. With links to Ambon, this item tells an important story about the conditions that prisoners of war endured and the struggle to survive.
info_outlineLust, Love, Loss: Conversations is a three-part series produced by renowned broadcaster Megan Spencer that delves deep into stories of Australian wartime relationships. This episode follows the story of Julia and Jai Michel, who in the nine years they've known each other have spent three and a half living in the same place. Julia has navigated the trials and tribulations of organising a wedding, buying a house and weathering a pandemic all with limited communication to her husband. Listen as she unpacks life as a contemporary defence partner and explains how she kept her relationship going despite the distance while helping others do the same.
Credits
This podcast has been produced for the Shrine of Remembrance to accompany the Lust, Love, Loss exhibition (1 December 2021 – 1 November 2022).
Speaker: Julia Michel
Actor: Jai Michel
Interviewer/Producer/Sound: Megan Spencer
Archival sound
'Children's Christmas party and messages to Vietnam 1968', Australian War Memorial Collection, Accession No. Accession No: F04721. Item copyright held by the Australian War Memorial ©, licensed under Creative Commons and used with kind permission.
‘Kentucky Fried Chicken - Hugo & Hill’ (1975, New Zealand) by Groove Myers. Reasonable attempts were made to identify the copyright owner of this audio material. If you have any information please contact Sue Burgess at the Shrine. Thank you to Grant Gillanders at Frenzy Music for his assistance.
Music
Original ‘Lovestruck’ music by Philip Brophy.
Performed by Bill McDonald (bass), Dan Luscombe (guitars), Garrett Costigan (pedal steel), Sianna Lee (vocals) and Philip Brophy (drums).
Audio mastering
Kris Keogh
Special thanks
Julia Michel for her time and the generous interview, and to Jai Michel.
Julia is the founder of the Defence Partners and Carers Support Group on Facebook
Her blog is The Home Post AU
Thank you
Beck Rayner, producer of the Military Life community and podcast (formerly ‘Military Wife Life’) and founder of the National Defence Partner Round Table (Julia is a speaker in the October 15, 2021 edition).
You can also hear Julia speak more about hers and Jai’s experience as an MWDU couple on Episodes 83 and 114 of Beck’s podcast. Find it at militarylife.com.au and on Facebook
The Shrine team: Leigh Gilbert, Tessa Occhino, Sue Burgess and Neil Sharkey, curator of the Lust, Love, Loss exhibition. See it at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne until November 2022.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Shrine of Remembrance.
Support
If this interview raises any issues for you, please contact: Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 Open Arms (formerly VVCS) - Veterans & Families Counselling on 1800 011 046 or on their website
Episode duration
One hour