Virtual War Memorial Australia

Abbreviation| VWMA
Established| 2014
Type| Nonprofit
Registration no.| 89613555347
Legal status| Charity
Purpose| Memorial, Education
Headquarters| Adelaide, South Australia
Services| War Memorial, Archives, Research, Education, Genealogy

Chief executive officer

| Sharyn Roberts

Patron

| Peter Cosgrove[1]
Revenue| $322,295.00 [2] (2021-2022)
Expenses| $324,820.00 [3] (2021-2022)
Funding| Fundraising,[4] Donations, Bequests, Grants [5]
Website| vwma.org.au

The Virtual War Memorial Australia is an online war memorial designed to commemorate all Australian service personnel. The conflicts covered by the Virtual War Memorial include the Boer War, World War One, World War Two, Vietnam War as well as all modern conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Founded in 2014, staff are primarily based in Adelaide, South Australia.[6]

Commemoration pages begin with little to no information, relying on data from Nominal Rolls such as those held with the Australian War Memorial and Department of Veteran Affairs. The remaining information is contributed by staff, volunteers, family members and the general public.[7] Users can upload evidence from documents, photos, artifacts as well as biographies and anecdotal stories.[8]

## Schools Program

[edit]

The Schools Program is run in partnership with the  South Australian Department of Education with the aim of supporting schools in delivering relevant Australian Curriculum and specialist matriculation content. Primarily, the focus is on:

* Year 9 - World War I (1914-1918)
* Year 10 - World War II (1939-45)[9]

Students participate by performing research on a selected serviceperson and then submitting to the website. Teachers are able to download submitted work for assessment. [10] Students whose contributions are of a high calibre are awarded a Certificate of Commendation.[11]

## Funding

[edit]

The main funding for the Memorial derives from grants. In 2019, the Virtual War Memorial Australia secured a three year grant of $400,000 AUD for the period ending June 2022. [12]

The funding of the Memorial was raised in Federal Parliament by Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie on Monday, 14 October 2019.[13]

The annual fundraising luncheon, 'Don't Forget Me Cobber' is held in November. Past events have been held at places such as Adelaide Oval[14] and are often attended by Members of Parliament and schools who have participated in the Schools Program. [15]

## See also

[edit]

* Military history of Australia portal

* Gulf War
* International response to the Rwandan genocide
* 1999 East Timorese crisis
* Iraq War
* Afghanistan
* Australian military involvement in peacekeeping
* List of Australian military memorials

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Sir Peter Cosgrove appointed national patron of the Virtual War Memorial Australia". The Lead (Adelaide). 10 September 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
2. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Limited", Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, 12 January 2022, retrieved 9 February 2022
3. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Limited", Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, 12 January 2022, retrieved 9 February 2022
4. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Fundraising Lunch", Avenues of Honour, 6 July 2021, retrieved 9 February 2022
5. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Limited", Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, 12 January 2022, retrieved 9 February 2022
6. ^ Ashenden, Paul (3 August 2019). "Virtual war memorial helping to preserving the stories of thousands of South Australians". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
7. ^ "Volunteering with Virtual War Memorial Australia", Virtual War Memorial Australia, n.d., retrieved 9 February 2022
8. ^ "Listing Rules", Virtual War Memorial Australia, n.d., retrieved 9 February 2022
9. ^ "Australian Curriculum: History (Version 8.4)", ACARA Australian Curriculum, n.d., retrieved 9 February 2022
10. ^ "Schools Program", Virtual War Memorial Australia, n.d., retrieved 9 February 2022
11. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Australia Awards Ceremony 2020", Central Yorke School, 2020, retrieved 9 February 2022
12. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Australia secures education funding from South Australia". The Lead (Adelaide). 26 April 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
13. ^ "Parliament of Australia: Statements by Members (House Hansard)", Parliament of Australia, 14 October 2019, retrieved 9 February 2022
14. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Fundraising Lunch", Avenues of Honour, 6 July 2021, retrieved 9 February 2022
15. ^ "Virtual War Memorial Fundraiser", Charles Campbell College, 2020, retrieved 9 February 2022

## External links

[edit]

* Virtual War Memorial Australia – Official Page
* Facebook Page

* v
* t
* e

Australian war memorials

Major national monuments
(capital cities)|

* Anzac Memorial (Sydney)
* Australian Army Memorial (Canberra)
* Australian Merchant Navy Memorial (Canberra)
* Australian Peacekeeping Memorial (Canberra)
* Australian Service Nurses National Memorial (Canberra)
* Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
* The Cenotaph (Hobart)
* Kings Park War Memorial (Perth)
* National War Memorial (Adelaide)
* Remembrance Driveway (Sydney to Canberra)
* Royal Australian Navy Memorial (Canberra)
* Shrine of Remembrance (Brisbane)
* Shrine of Remembrance (Melbourne)
* Vietnam Forces National Memorial (Canberra)

On foreign soil|

* Australian War Memorial (London, England)
* Australian Soldier Park (Beersheba, Israel)
* Lae War Cemetery (Lae, Papua New Guinea)
* Lone Pine Memorial (Gallipoli, Turkey)
* V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial (Fromelles, France)

Regional monuments|

* ACT Memorial (Canberra)
* Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial (Ballarat)
* Monument Hill (Fremantle)
* Victory Memorial Gardens (Wagga Wagga)

Boer War memorials|

* South African War Memorial (Adelaide)
* South African War Memorial (Brisbane)
* Boer War Memorial (Canberra)

World War I memorials|

* Arch of Victory (Ballarat)
* Avenues of Honour
* The Cenotaph (Sydney)
* Johnstone Park Memorial (Geelong)
* Light Horse Interchange (Sydney)
* Mount Macedon Memorial Cross

World War II memorials|

* Australian–American Memorial (Canberra)
* Avenues of Honour
* Albany
* Armadale
* Bacchus Marsh
* Ballarat
* Booroopki
* Buchan South
* Cowra
* Hobart
* Lakes Entrance
* Lysterfield
* Macedon
* O'Connell
* Woodend North
* Military Museum and Bombing Memorial (Darwin)
* El Alamein Fountain (Sydney)
* Hellenic Memorial (Canberra)
* Rats of Tobruk Memorial (Canberra)

Korean War memorials|

* Korean War Memorial (Canberra)

Campaigns|

* Regimental Square (Sydney)

Branch|

* Rockingham Naval Memorial Park (RAN)

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