Saluting Our Military History

For those with an interest in World War 2 or who have Australian family who served during the conflict, the Australian government has just announced a plan to digitise Australia’s World War Two records of service men and women, as part of a new program that is ‘focused on recognising the service of our veterans’.

In a joint release from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester, the pair announced that ‘digital records will make them easier to access so Australians can discover the as yet untold stories of their relatives and how they defended our nation during times of war’.

With next year marking the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, the government said that it wanted ‘to ensure Australians can remember and understand the service and sacrifice of those who came before us’.  Only about 20 per cent of the million plus WWII service records have currently been digitised by the National Archives of Australia.

The government has also announced the expansion of the Saluting Their Service grants program, providing an extra $10 million in funding.  The program is designed to preserve Australia's wartime heritage and to involve people throughout the nation in a wide range of projects and activities that highlight the service and sacrifice of Australia's servicemen and women in wars, conflicts and peace operations, and promote appreciation and understanding of the role that those who served have played in shaping the nation.
Two categories of grants are available under the STS program:

1. Community Commemorative Grants (CCG) — Grants up to a maximum of $4,000 are available for community-based commemorative projects and activities. This includes, for example, the building of community memorials and the preservation of wartime memorabilia that is significant locally but is not necessarily nationally significant.
    
2. Major Commemorative Grants (MCG) — Grants are available for projects and activities that are significant, from a national, state or territory perspective and that contribute to Australia’s understanding of its wartime heritage and honour the service and sacrifice of its servicemen and women.