We have been led to believe that Australia was born on the battlefields of Gallipoli. Yet the cost of both World War I and II was so great that Australia was left divided, a generation of men lost and the economy left shattered. So, is baptism on the battlefield a prerequisite of nationhood and a sense of national Identity? And what are the ideas and political movements that created and shaped our nation? These and other questions will be the foundation for this year’s History Week theme War Nationalism and Identity. In conjunction with the History Council of NSW Speaker Connect Program we have invited Dave Earl to be our special guest on Sunday September 13 at 2pm in The Old Kirk. Dave’s provocative topic Rejected! The wartime lives of men found unfit for service promises to provide insight into the men who were denied the opportunity to serve their Empire, simply on the grounds of poor vision, irregular heartbeats and varicose veins. Dave argues that servicemen were not the only ones who helped to transform Australian society during this important period but also the men who were ‘rejected’ through no fault of their own. Dave Earl is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of Sydney, based in the Race and Ethnicity in the Global South Research Collaboration. He lectures in the Department of Education and Social Work’s Indigenous Education Program. His research interests include histories of youth, gender, welfare, education and disability. He currently sits on the History Council of NSW and the International Federation for Public History’s STuPro Committee Where: Yamba Museum, River Street, Yamba When: Sunday 13 September – 2 pm Free event – Afternoon tea provided RSVP/Enq: 6646 1399 – yambamuseumnsw@gmail.com