Images from Cowra and the town's army camp are included in a 2,000 photo World War Two exhibition which will take place at Bathurst Showground over four days from Friday, August 12 to Monday, August 15.
When war was declared on Germany our nation had a small navy and air force and it was far from prepared for a war that was then on the other side of the world and which would not come close for another two years.
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As time went on the Prime Minister took on extraordinary wartime powers and the Government enforced strict censorship of media.
The country saw Australians born in other countries, mainly Germany, Italy and Japan, being placed in internment camps.
With some 500,000 service personnel serving overseas they fought in a number of campaigns against Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as well as against Japan in south-east Asia and the Pacific.
The Bathurst District Historical Society have organised the large exhibition which will see numerous collectors journey to the show.
Images have been lent by numerous families and service personnel, many of which have not seen the light of day since the Second World War.
There will be four pavilions of displays, demonstrations, talks and Last Post Ceremony, over 4,000 plus items of wartime artefacts and memorabilia, 30 plus restored WW2 military vehicles, 20 plus WW2 re-enactors, wartime newspapers, three different Powerpoint screens with 1,200 images between them and a replica of an outdoor tropical Army theatre showing WW2 newsreels of the day and a good deal more.
St Stanislaus' College will mount the Damien Parer photo display.
These photos were taken by Damien who became a famous war photographer and cameraman.
Unfortunately, he was killed by the Japanese in New Guinea before the war was over.
Some of the Cowra images were taken by Salvation Army officer Pettett who operated a Salvation Army Recreation marquee at Cowra's Army Training Camp in 1940.
On display will be a wind-up portable gramophone used by him in Cowra that played the old thick 78 records.
Later the gramophone served Aussie soldiers in New Guinea with another padre in the Salvation Army.
Curator Alan McRae said that "one Blayney school will be attending the exhibition to see some rarely seen relics and the Australian War Memorial have sent a Memorial Box full of items from the war as well. This will be a unique experience for many".
