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ABC Open: Anzac Day and the unseen costs of war

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Old man holds framed photo of war plane
ABC Open: Anzac Day and the unseen costs of war

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  9–10


Discover the unseen costs of war.

Many people experience fear, anxiety, bereavement, shock and other forms of psychological trauma that do not end when they return home.

Watch this clip as residents of Violet Town in Victoria reflect on the personal cost of war.


Things to think about

  1. 1.The human cost of wars is staggering and World War I was by far Australia's most costly war. From a population of less than five million, more than 320,000 Australians served overseas during the conflict. Around 155,000 were wounded; 60,000 died. Many who returned from this and later wars had terrible physical injuries but many more had unseen and unrecognised psychological wounds.
  2. 2.The bearded man in the clip describes Anzac Day as 'a time of reflection'. What do the people of Violet Town reflect on during Anzac Day?
  3. 3.Towards the end of the clip, the man wearing glasses says, 'What I tend to focus on is those people who were injured psychologically'. What kinds of traumatic experiences in war do you think would cause psychological injuries?
  4. 4.It is only in recent years that Anzac Day has begun to include a focus on psychological injuries. Such responses to intense traumatic events are now recognised as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and they are treated just as seriously as physical wounds. Use appropriate sources to find out more about PTSD and the types of treatments available to returning soldiers, along with ways the general community can assist.



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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