00:01The memorial was conceived in the trenches in 1916. We needed to have a
00:06place here in Australia where families could come and grieve and mourn loved
00:09ones who were buried on the other side of the world. It's about recognising and
00:13remembering those that have been left behind on battlefields and those that
00:17haven't been able to leave the battlefield behind when they've come
00:20home again.
00:24Unless you really have contended with the complexities and the awful nature of
00:28the war that you served in, you don't really understand, a burden of duty.
00:32We have this huge demographic of Australians now who have went Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan.
00:38You know, thousands of soldiers have got to feel they're a part of something.
00:42The Australian War Memorial is unique. It is three things in one. It is a shrine, a museum and an
00:48archive.
00:50We are going to expand the gallery space to make sure that we continue to give honour to
00:55those first Anzacs whilst continuing to acknowledge and honour those who followed in their footsteps.
01:01The baton, if you will, has been passed to us. Younger veterans are represented in these new galleries
01:06and can tell the story about our service.
01:10To bring that closer to people and show them what happens out there, I think that's really important
01:17and it's really important for people who have served to have that recognition.
01:20This is the most important thing I'll ever do. The nation should be proud of it.
01:26I'm proud of it. We're going to tell their stories.
Comments