Origins of Anzac Day remembered on UNESCO World register
Published Wednesday, 24 April, 2019 at 02:15 PM
Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Leeanne Enoch
A rare book that put Anzac Day on the national calendar has been added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register.
Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the book, being held by the State Library of Queensland, details how the origins of Anzac Day began in Queensland at the first meeting of Queensland’s Anzac Day Commemoration Committee.
“It contains the minutes of that first meeting in which it was agreed to hold an Anzac Day march on 25 April 1916,” Ms Enoch said.
“More than 57,000 Queenslanders enlisted in the First World War with many more being involved at home on some level.
“This book is of great importance as we continue to commemorate Anzac Day and pay tribute to the thousands of Australians who served in military operations, helping future generations understand their experiences during and after the First World War.
“This worthy addition to the register will inspire Australians to access the State Library’s collections to learn more about Queensland’s history.”
State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald said the State Library was honoured to have these precious minutes placed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.
“As custodian of Queensland’s collective memory we are uniquely positioned to share the incredible stories of our state’s past and present,” Ms McDonald said.
“State Library holds a wealth of First World War material, but this minute book is one of a kind.
“The Anzac Day Commemoration Committee was the only organisation nationally committed to developing and promoting a template for Anzac Day observance.
“Aside from its national significance, the minute book is a rich resource for researchers, historians and hobbyists, with a digitised version available online for anyone to view through State Library’s catalogue.”
The minute book joined other items from the State Library of Queensland collection already in UNESCO’s register:
- Margaret Lawrie Torres Strait Island Collection - stories from the Torres Strait Islands, genealogical information on many Torres Strait Island families, slides and photographs, artworks, and research material
- Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party, 1892 - a handwritten foundation document of the Queensland Labour Party (this is also inscribed on the International Register of the UNESCO Memory of the World)
- The Convict Records of Queensland 1825–1842 - records that document the penal settlement at Moreton Bay
- James Tyson Papers - surviving records the creator of one of Australia’s greatest pastoral empires.
Media contact: 0437 859 987