April – Mapping the ANZACs

On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day across the country and reflect on the many different meanings of Australia's involvement in war.

This has included women's involvement as nurses since 1898 in the Boer War, in the Gallipoli campaign, in the Auxilliary Forces in the Second World War, and in active duty in Iraq.

At this time and throughout the year, Australians travel to distant places—the farmlands of northern France and Belgium, the steep mountains of Papua New Guinea, a rubber plantation in Vietnam, a disused railway deep in the Thai jungle. They do this as a mark of respect, to remember and pay tribute to fellow Australians who suffered and died in these places during times of war.

Music and song have also helped document Australia's participation in conflict and war. These songs show how Australia has emerged as a nation and help capture the development of our unique culture and identity. This month, art and cultural events provide an opportunity to map the ANZAC tradition in old and new ways.

New and revised Australian Stories

In addition to our articles on Easter and Anzac Day, please also see our new and revised Australian Stories:

Sacred places - Australian battlefield pilgrimages
Women in action - nurses and serving women
Songs of war and peace: from the call to the trenches

Featured event

ANZAC Day – national

25 April 2009

On this day, ceremonies are held across the nation to acknowledge the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli in 1915, the spirit of ANZAC and the service of all veterans. More...

Featured website

Australian War Memorial: Highlights of the Conflicts 1945 to today galleries

Highlights of the galleries include the Battle of Long Tan film, bridge of HMAS Brisbane and the nose of a Meteor jet fighter used in the Korean war.

Snippets

Design and architecture

culture.gov.au/news/design.htm

Fashion Palette – Sydney

1–2 May 2009

Fashion Palette is an opportunity for the Australian fashion community to learn from some of the worlds most inspirational 'fashionpreneurs'. More...

Digital media and film

culture.gov.au/news/digitalmedia.htm

Little Big Shots international film festival for kids – national

4 April – 8 June 2009

Aimed at families and kids aged two to 18, Little Big Shots is Australia's annual traveling children's film festival. More...

Festivals and conferences

culture.gov.au/news/festivalsandconferences.htm

West Coast Blues 'n' Roots Festival – Fremantle, Western Australia

18 April 2009

The sixth annual West Coast Blues 'n' Roots Festival will feature performances by the John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, Zappa Plays Zappa, and many more. More...

History and identity

culture.gov.au/news/historyandidentity.htm

Shell-shocked: Australia after Armistice – Canberra

8 November 2008 – 27 April 2009

Shell-shocked: Australia after Armistice explores how the community dealt with the lingering effects of the First World War over the next 20 years. More...

Indigenous arts and culture

culture.gov.au/news/indigenousarts.htm

Black and white: documenting Indigenous Australia – Melbourne

12 February – 3 May 2009

Monash Gallery of Art's (MGA) latest exhibition Black & white: documenting Indigenous Australia surveys the history of photographers' efforts to document Indigenous Australians. More...

Language and literature

culture.gov.au/news/languageandliterature.htm

Eye of the Storm: Alice Springs Writers' Festival - Alice Springs, Northern Territory

1–4 May 2009

Eye of the Storm: 2009 will be a celebration of Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous writing that highlights Centralian stories and voices. More...

Performance

culture.gov.au/news/performance.htm

Late Night Impro – Melbourne

3–25 April 2009

Late Night Impro meets Survivor when rival improvisation teams battle it out for best director. In Late Night Impro, a theme is chosen and directing skills are put to the test. More...

Resources and funding

culture.gov.au/news/resourcesandfunding.htm

Connecting Up 2009 Conference and Workshop - Sydney

11–13 May 2009

The 2009 Connecting Up Conference offers the opportunity to explore the issues and challenges of social media and networking as a communication and engagement medium for nonprofit organisations. More...

Sport and recreation

culture.gov.au/news/sportandrecreation.htm

Targa Tasmania – Tasmania

28 April – 3 May 2009

Targa Tasmania is a tarmac rally with competitive stages on closed roads for the best touring, sports and GT cars in the world. More...

Visual arts and crafts

culture.gov.au/news/visualarts.htm

Renata Buziak, Afterimage - Brisbane

4 April – 3 May 2009

Afterimage captures childhood memories—sweet and painful, breathtaking and scary, colourful and dark. These images of mundane events thread together a journey through the artist's early days in Poland. More...

Websites - new

culture.gov.au/news/websites.htm

Mapping our Anzacs

March 2009

Mapping our Anzacs is a tool used to browse 375,971 records of service in the Australian Army during the First World War according to the place of birth or enlistment. This tool gives you a new way of seeing Australia's involvement in the First World War. More...

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