Parliament House Canberra ACT 2602
Telephone 02 6277 7820 Facsimile 02 6273 4140
The Hon Alan Griffin MP
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
VA050
Friday, 12 June 2009
LIFE AFTER WAR EXHIBITION OPENS AT THE SHRINE
An exhibition showing how Australia coped with the debilitating effects of the First World War on
our young nation will be opened today at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne by the
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin.
Shell Shocked: Australia After Armistice shows that while a great many Australians celebrated
the end of the war, the following years brought a period of grief and unparalleled adjustment
which quickly tempered the joy of victory.
“Of the more than 330,000 Australians who left our shores to serve overseas during the First
World War, more than 61,000 never returned home. Up to 160,000 returned injured or ill and for
many their recovery was slow or life-long,” Mr Griffin said.
“In 1938, twenty years after the war, there remained more than 1,600 veterans in homes for the
permanently incapacitated, and around 23,000 seeking care from repatriation hospitals.
“The human toll on a young nation is highlighted in the exhibition through records, photographs,
letters and medical reports which reflect many personal stories of Australians from different
walks of life.
“The exhibition shows the many ways Australia and Australians coped with the aftermath of the
war. Its stories include the lasting impact on the women of the Australian Army Nursing Service,
the anxiety of those at home and the introduction of the Repatriation system which fulfilled the
promise to care for those who suffered from their war service and provide for the dependants of
those who did not return.
“Shell Shocked also shows the treatment of returned Indigenous servicemen – equal as soldiers
but not as civilians, the internment camps for ‘enemy aliens’, and the community and
government response in building memorials on battlefields and here, at home, post war,” Mr
Griffin said.
“It is an insightful exhibition into what was a truly daunting time for our young country.”
Based on files from the National Archives of Australia and funded by a grant from the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Shell Shocked is on a national tour and will be on display at the
Shrine until 26 July, covering the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on
28 June 1919.
Media inquiries: Sasha Nimmo 0437 863 109
The VVCS – Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a
week on 1800 011 046.To receive the Minister’s media releases automatically by email subscribe at
minister.dva.gov.au/subscribe.htm
NEWS 
