Adopt A Digger This ANZAC Day

THE National Archives is encouraging people to unearth the stories of our diggers and keep their story alive this ANZAC Day by adopting a digger and adding to their digital records on Discovering ANZACs.

Hundreds of thousands of records are available on the National Archives website, which can be added to digger’s records and shared on social media, explained David Fricker, national archives director general.

“In thinking about ANZAC Day we have a tremendous urge to gather together show to respect and gratitude for our ANZACs and the sacrifices they made,” said Mr Fricker. 

“We want to gather, connect, share stories and carry the memory forward to the next generations,” he said.

“With this pandemic we aren’t able to gather together as normal, but Australians are creative souls and we will be standing at the end of our driveways all over the country with the live stream,” he said.

“At the archives we wanted to look at how we could connect, keep that memory alive and share the stories with the next generation.

“So everyone will have free access to every ANZAC who served in the first world war and be able to contribute their own materials to be held, photographs, images of memorabilia,” he said.

“People can also record memories of the day, photos of them in their driveway and add it to the record of their family members,” he said.

“It’s an interactive access to those original records to get young and old Australians involved in carrying their memories forward,” said David Fricker.

Materials for school children

“A lot of parents have their kids at home at the moment and we’ve been doing our bit to educate the next generation of Australians,” said Mr Fricker.

“We have very easy, freely accessible education materials, videos, simple timelines of the great war, the big facts and the intimate stories to help families talk to their kids about ANZAC Day and why it is so important,” David Fricker said.

• To be part of the national ANZAC Day service Light Up the Dawn, you can log onto ANZAC Spirit to pledge your support and access the broadcast at 6am from your phone, tablet or computer.
• To keep a digger’s story alive: add to their digital records on Discovering ANZACs and search for details of their service on the National Archives