An exhibition in Queensland commemorates young North Queenslanders who responded to the outbreak of the First World War by enlisting to serve in the Torres Strait. The Defending the Pacific exhibition contains a selection of 1914 diary excerpts, images, archives and newspaper articles about 1000 volunteers who departed from Townsville and Cairns a century ago to strengthen defences on Thursday Island. Opening the exhibition, Queensland’s Member for Townsville, John Hathaway, said when the First World War was declared on 4 August 1914, the most immediate military threats for Australia lay to the north, in the then German New Guinea. The 1000 volunteers who volunteered to serve on Thursday Island comprised of North Queensland’s Kennedy Regiment and a Citizen’s Force – a group of men aged between 18 and 60 from North Queensland’s rifle clubs. The exhibition will commence on the 8 August. Photographic exhibitions will be held in the corridors of Green Hill Fort, Thursday Island as well as in the Jezzine Barracks, Townsville. Temporary exhibitions will also be held in: ∙Atherton: Atherton Library ∙Bowen: Bowen Museum and Historical Society ∙Cairns: Cairns City Library ∙Charters Towers: Zara Clark Museum ∙Horn Island: Horn Island Airport ∙Ingham: Hinchinbrook Shire Library ∙Mareeba: Mareeba Library ∙Poruma - Torres Strait: Indigenous Knowledge Centre ∙Seisia: Seisia Holiday Park ∙Horn Island: Torres Strait Museum ∙Thursday Island to Seisia: Peddell’s Ferry On 9 August 1914, the Australian Naval and Military Expedition Force began forming in Sydney, made up of 1500 volunteers who would capture the then German New Guinea, involving the first Australian casualties of WWI. A service will be held at the Bita Paka War Cemetery, Kokopo, on 11 September 2014 to commemorate this action. For more information about this and other commemorations in PNG visit navy.gov.au/events/centenary-anzac
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 06:29:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015