Perspective

At the Special Air Service Regiment, Major Greg Mawkes, MBE recipient and Vietnam veteran gave a briefing before we split up into separate groups to view the museums which were informative, engaging and accessible. It was great to learn the history of the museum and how the soldiers go about their work in these environments. Our guide had an incredible depth of knowledge and it certainly rubbed off on me as we saw the scale of operations and the danger the men put themselves in for our country’s sake.

During the SASR visit, we explored the machinery and uniforms, and delved into the practicality of their work. We also visited the museum section which helped me understand the history of the SASR and their influence. Visiting the SASR gallery complemented this experience as a more interpretative nature of conflict was apparent. We finished the day with a walk through the memorial garden. What resonated for me was that most of those recognised had not died while serving. The majority of personnel deaths were as a result of elite training and an application process which demonstrates the dedication of this training.

SASR Historical Foundation Museum

At the State Library of Western Australia, Toni and Kate gave us a tour of the archives and storage, including the Creating Perth exhibition that was on display. In the storage sections, we visited an insulated room with humidity control to maintain the perfect atmosphere and conditions for the rare book collection. A highlight of the visit was listening to Peter Edwards discuss a selection of images, maps and documents from numerous wars, as well as performing a Turkish folk song, Chanakkale, that is the equivalent to Waltzing Matilda. I came away appreciating that in any war, both sides need to be acknowledged after the conflict has ended rather than focusing on only one side.

It was incredible to be able to witness the rows and rows of rare books and historical documents. While we were not able to handle the papers ourselves, we were very fortunate to have archivist Peter Edwards show and explain some of the artefacts to us. These included letters sent during the war, original maps and even a diary from World War One. I was astonished to be so close to all of these valuable records of history. Following an amazing day investigating the history of Perth in more depth, we returned to the hotel and packed our bags for the morning flight to Albany, with excitement to explore the final destination of the tour.