Medals in pride of place

KEEN war historians and families with military lineage can dig into Tasmania’s past with the launch yesterday of the Tasmanian Medals Open House.

The permanent exhibition is a new fixture of the Army Museum of Tasmania.

Museum manager Major Chris Talbot said the medal exhibition had been installed in its own room in the museum.

“Through a $35,000 grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund and the Australian History Unit, we have had specially designed, secure cabinets made to display some of Tasmania’s most historic medal collections,” Major Talbot said.

“Previously, many of the medals have been secured in special safes but locked away from display.

“This new, permanent exhibition will enable us to display both the medals and stories of many of Tasmania’s service men and women.”

Major Talbot said the top displays would be rotated featuring the service medals and honours of legendary figures such as Colonel Nell Espie, born in Oatlands and trained as a nurse through the 1940s, who was also a Member of the Order of Australia, a Member of the Royal Red Cross and Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing Australia.

Major Talbot said the Medal Room would feature the Tasmanian Victoria Cross Honour Board and other special displays.

“All the medals and their recipients will be entered in an iPad within the room so that visitors can look up their family members or other military personnel to research,” he said.

“We have already had many more offers of medals from Tasmanian families and into the future we will accommodate them all. They will be displayed in perpetuity.”