The Australian War Memorial has announced a program of commemorative events to mark the centenary of the Armistice that ended the First World War.

The program represents four years of commemorative activity, and will commence on 5 October 2018. The program will give visitors the opportunity to understand the significance of the Armistice in 1918 and the overall impact of the Great War.

A feature of the program will be the placement of 62,000 handcrafted poppies in the Sculpture Garden on the AWM’s western grounds, representing those Australians killed while serving in the First World War. The immersive display is the final phase of the 5000 Poppies Project, which has created a number of memorable commemorative exhibits since 2013.

The AWM also announced a partnership with VisitCanberra, which is providing $150,000 which matches funding from the ACT Government’s Major Event Fund.

Memorial Director, Brendan Nelson congratulated the ACT Government on its support for what will be a stunning programme to pay tribute to one of our nation’s defining events. “This significant financial support from the ACT government will facilitate delivery of a commemorative event that will do proud justice to the 62,000 young Australians killed and who died during the First World War,” Dr Nelson said.

“The Memorial will lead the nation’s national commemorations of the end of the cataclysm which inflicted deep wounds on our young nation. We emerged victorious but inconsolably mourning our dead, with a greater belief in ourselves and a deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian.”

The commemorative program will end with the National Ceremony on Remembrance Day on Sunday 11 November and the Last Post Ceremony that evening.