'Aussies Again' - Source: Courtesy of the State Library Victoria

Station Pier, Aussie Again

Troop ships returning wounded soldiers began arriving in Port Melbourne in July 1915. The first of these, the Kyarra, arrived in sombre circumstances. Accounts of the arrivals at Port Melbourne reveal a mixture of emotions: one soldier’s relief at being “Aussie again” contrasts with the sombreness of an arrival in 1917, where the ship was greeted by “a quiet clump of relatives [waiting] in silence.” Port Melbourne’s Women’s Welcoming Committee formed in response to these sombre arrivals. As well as gifts of cigarettes and chocolate, the committee erected arches inscribed with the motto “Australia is proud of you: welcome home to our Brave Heroes.”

by pastportproject on Sept. 7, 2015

'Troops arriving'

Source: Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial Collection

'Troops'

Source: Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial Collection

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