Australian War Memorial (English)

On 18 August, we visited the Storage Rooms of the Australian War
Memorial, which had organized an Open Day during the Science Weeks.
Unfortunately, we believed the storage to be nearby the War Memorial,
which is not the case at all. We had to drive quickly to the Mitchell
suburb. Overthere, they collect a big number of huge war material like
planes, tanks etc. up from WW I. At the moment, Adi likes all kinds of
wheels, buttons, lamps, and/or long tubes. I have to say, that knowing
their purpose, these things leave me a bit less enthousiastic...
On 19 August, we decided to visit the Memorial itself; especially
because of its new interactive Discovery-Exhibition.
What amazes me most, is the fact, how enthousiastic young Aussies
volunteered (and still volunteer) for engagement in overseas conflicts,
just to defend in arms the right cause hand in hand with the directly
concerned nations. On one hand, this happens due to Commonwealth
history, but on the other, it must be a state of mind from which Swiss
people are historically more or less completely alienated.
The Discovery-Exhibition features a.o. a small transport helicopter to
get on and watch a flight-movie with corresponding sound. Adi didn't
want to get on, because he feared that the thing could actually lift
off... He prefered building a bridge-modell in the Peace-Keeping
Section. Oli just loved turning and spinning the valves in the
submarine-modell.
I have also talked to a very nice mum with two kids of Adi's and Oli's
age. Unfortunately, they will leave Canberra within a few days and
return living at the coast. They simply couldn't stand the freezy, rainy
weather up here... Lately, I read that the depressionrate increases
heavily as soon as there is cloudy, rainy weather for a few days...
Hopefully, climate change won't create a "Schweizer Mittelland" overhere...
But a quick return to the "main topic":
The War Memorial is an Aussies' favourite week-end spot and you can see
lots of families with small kids here. But I think, it is primarily a
Memorial to visit for teens and adults, because its main subject will
ever be war under all its aspects and the rememberance of those who
hadn't the privilege to return back home. In that sense, I think I
wouldn't visit it again with the kids before quite a few years.

http://www.awm.gov.au/