Military Museum up for History award

THE Bendigo Military Museum in Pall Mall has welcomed news that a video from an exhibition held within its Soldiers Memorial Institute home has been announced as a finalist in the digital storytelling category of the 2024 Victorian Community History Awards.

The Faces of Peace Video Storytelling Project – Central Victoria’s Peacekeepers, Peacemakers and Peacebuilders, shined a light on the experiences of 10 veterans from Central Victoria who served in peacekeeping operations across the globe – in Bosnia, Cyprus, The Solomon Islands, East Timor, Mozambique, Namibia, the Middle East and Pakistan.

Their stories offered a fascinating insight into what it meant to be a peacekeeper and the challenges of serving in complex, often volatile environments.

The exhibition joins 38 other history publications and projects to have been shortlisted across 11 prize categories including the Victorian Premier’s History Award.

Military Museum curator Lena Morrison-van Velsen said the exhibition came about from last year’s Anzac Day theme – Peacekeeping, Peacemaking and Peacebuilding.

“It was really to shine a light on the fact that when you sign up to any of the forces, whether it’s Army, Navy or Air Force, you’re signing up to serve – you don’t get to choose where you serve and you often don’t get to choose what you do,” she said.

“People who end up going on a peacekeeping operation have traditionally been treated as less than someone who served in an active war-like operation.

“That came down to the benefits they were entitled to, the pay they received and the medals they were entitled.

“There’s been a push to recognise peacekeeping as a very valid form of service and often it’s as dangerous if not more so than active warlike operations.”

Ms Morrison-van Velsen said the shortlisting is deserved recognition of “the incredible things” the featured veterans have done.

“That’s really rewarding, but also being nominated alongside such incredible projects is really special as we’re quite a small niche institution compared to some of these heavy hitters,” she said.

“Coming from a regional perspective – our main mission is to recognise local stories and heroes and showcase what regional Victorians can do – it’s really special.”