While many people think ‘environment’ means the natural world, it is actually more than that. In its full sense it covers the built / man-made environment and the cultural environment, especially coming from history.
As a family historian, I have researched many aspects of cultural environments over time. This section of my website is for sharing such knowledge and activities, including ready- to- teach ones. (PS If you use my materials, I’d love some feedback.)
From 1914-1918, the Great War drew the world in to what people thought about, what they did and how they used the resources around them. Now we come to commemorate its centenary, and again this war is becoming an active part of our cultural environment. Hence this section on Anzac Cultural environments, events and personal stories, which will grow over the 2014-2018 period
For example, look carefully at this photo of a Great War Memorial in rural Victoria, for the word under the statue. Think about what the community nearly 100 years ago wanted for the future when they commissioned this statue, and what message it sends to us today about our cultural heritage/environment, especially as we embark upon the centennial commemorations of the Great War in so many places in the world.
There are three subpages in this section:
1 Anzac Cultural Environments
This section will have links to places of engagement and memorials:
- from my visit to the Somme for ANZAC Day 2015.
- from local memorials in the Wimmera.
- This ” Treasure Hunting” activity for a small Wimmera town’s memorial can be adapted to help explorations for your local memorial.
2 Events of the Great War
The first activity on this page is about the First Convoy’s Departure from Australia for the War.
Today, it is hard to conceive of the size of the first convoy sent to the Great War in October 1914 from Albany just over a month after it began. This Maths and Design based activity uses raw data of the ships, men and horses from that first convoy of Australian and New Zealanders . This page has suggestions on how to use it to commemorate the start of the journey to the War.
3 Great War Soldiers.
This page will have histories about individual men from their Great War records.
It can be used for History, English, Geography, Maths etc, but I am putting my efforts into discovering the men’s stories so that you can use it in any way that fits your needs. There may also be some French introductions due to French on-going commemorations and respect for the soldiers who persevered and fought for their freedom in this War.
This page begins with two brothers were children in Warracknabeal and separately on Gallipoli: Pvte Reginal James Rossiter (died 25 April 1915) and Sgt Roland George Rossiter (returned home in 1919). It has a Frence version.
Earnest Daniel Joyce (died Aug 10 1918, on the Somme)
Vin Terry (at school in Australia, working in Fiji during the Great War)
This section will be added to over the duration of the Great War centennial as my commemoration of the freedom that was fought for by so many men and pain suffered by so many families – of which we today are still direct beneficiaries.
page updated 26 June 2015 (c) Jeanie Clark, Warracknabeal 2015