Available
from HTANSW:
Standard
price $35.00 + postage (GST inclusive).
HTA NSW member price $30.00 + postage
(GST inclusive)
This
is a wonderful documentary. Featuring eight Second World
War veterans, it traces their personal experiences of
war. Using a technique that interweaves interviews with
archival material, it creates an extraordinarily effective
collage of war and Australian social history. While
the focus is on Australia at war, it is as much about
the individuals and what they reveal about the attitudes
and experiences of ‘the generation passing into
history’. As such, this documentary is a great
complement to existing material that tends to deal with
battle front chronologies.
The interviewees – ranging from an infantry soldier
to an army chaplain to a Red Cross nurse – are
a stunning group and their reflections make for powerful
viewing. Their understated style contributes to the
slow pace in the early stages and the constant moving
from one to the other runs the risk of fragmentation.
Nevertheless, as the personalities emerge, the layers
of testimony accumulate and the atmosphere builds, it
is impossible not be to drawn into the eight different
lives. By the end, most viewers, including hard-bitten
Year 10 students, will struggle not to be in tears.
For, quite apart from its historical value, this documentary
offers a bridge between generations.
The interviews are organised into four sections: War
on the Horizon, War on Australia’s Doorstep, Prisoners
of War and Aftermath & Farewell. There are nine
special features on topics such as the Atom Bomb and
Bringing Home the POWs. As already suggested, the aim
has not been to present a comprehensive overview of
Australia’s wartime history. Instead, there is
the opportunity for students to engage with individuals
in a way that may build understanding at a deeper level.
In terms of Australian social history, this film is
an example of oral history at its best. As a resource
for those focusing on Australia’s military history,
it would add significant meaning to many aspects of
a classroom survey. Moreover, the subject matter suggests
all sorts of possibilities for student research.
This resource is highly recommended for the Stage 5
course in NSW. Thinking national curriculum, it should
be equally relevant wherever Australian history is being
taught.
Paul Kiem
Trinity Catholic College, Auburn
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