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ABC Open: The changing roles of women on Anzac Day

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ABC Open: The changing roles of women on Anzac Day

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  9–10


How have the stories and observances of Anzac Day changed to include women alongside men?

During World War I and the years that followed, women had little involvement in Anzac Day events. In some instances, they were deliberately excluded! This has changed dramatically in recent decades.

In this clip, women and men from Queensland's Sunshine Coast describe their Anzac Day activities.


Things to think about

  1. 1.During World War I, many women were keen to contribute to the war effort. The Australian government declined their participation in the armed forces but some 2,300 women served overseas as nurses and medical workers, while many more undertook voluntary work at home, including fundraising and preparing clothes and food packages for soldiers. Despite this activity, women were sometimes excluded from Anzac Day events in the years following the war.
  2. 2.The young woman who appears three times in the clip describes her activities on Anzac Day. How do they involve women and other family members? Who does the young woman empathise with on Anzac Day? What other evidence does the clip provide about the ways Anzac Day has changed since the times when women and the families of the fallen were not always included.
  3. 3.The man standing beside the helicopter says, 'Everybody has the right level of respect and the feeling of a national identity and gratitude for those that have given up their time and, in some cases, their lives …' According to those interviewed in the clip, how do people express their respect and gratitude on Anzac Day.
  4. 4.In World War II, almost 66,000 Australian women enlisted in women's services including the Australian Women's Army Service, Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force, Women's Royal Australian Naval Service, Women's Land Army and the nursing services of the army, navy and air force. Use appropriate sources to determine what each of these organisations did, along with where they served.



Date of broadcast: 2011


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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