Honouring Veterans Legacies through their Stories

This Story Australia is a local Moreton Bay charity preserving Australia’s history through documentary interviews with our diggers. The charity engages with veterans from all conflicts – from WWII through to Afghanistan – to preserve their personal stories and ensure veterans have a digital platform on which they can share their experiences.

This Story has a great working relationship with the Queensland State Library to ensure that stories are not only archived at a State level, but made available to the public for free anytime in their catalogue. The stories are also searchable and readily accessible on This Story Australia’s website.

To date they have interviewed over 50 veterans across NSW, the Northern Territory and Queensland including stories from our own Moreton Bay veterans residing in Deception Bay, Mango Hill, Woodford, Redcliffe and Albany Creek. CEO Jeff Hughes is eager to ensure veterans in our own area are given the opportunity to share their stories.

‘We are reaching out to Moreton Bay businesses to partner with us to make a real difference to veterans and their community. It is great for us collectively to remember on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day, but it is even more important for us to take action.’

In February 2023 one of This Story Australia’s veteran stories was awarded Best Short Documentary in the Mykonos International Film Festival. ‘Second Generation ANZAC’ shares the service and life of 105 year old veteran Alf Carpenter of Newcastle. Alf learned of the selection of his story among the film festival finalists in Greece last year before his passing in September. Alf was overjoyed at the thought that he could share his story about his experiences in the Battle of Crete in 1941 with the people of Greece today.

‘Veterans stories matter, and our community wants to learn and honour their legacy’ says Jeff Hughes. ‘These are the lives of ordinary people and their extraordinary accomplishments, and they have the power to connect the community.’

Check out www.thisstory.com.au follow them on social media and get in touch today to be a part of this special project.