Paul Daley's Guardian article last Friday ('Australian War Memorial defers military history prize after judging panel awards it to book on Ben Roberts-Smith') began a flurry of commentary, including from the Prime Minister and Minister Keogh. Defending Country has noted with alarm the revelations about how the War Memorial makes decisions, but our sharper focus is on what it does about proper recognition and commemoration of the Australian Wars.
Daley, using sources and leaked emails from the Memorial, described the tortuous process by which the Memorial failed to award its 2024 Les Carlyon Award to Chris Masters for his book, Flawed Hero: Truth, Lies and War Crimes. Daley included quotes from Masters, who was understandably extremely annoyed at what had happened. He had every right to be.
Daley's piece was followed by Kerrie O'Brien in Nine Newspapers (with more quotes from Masters), Dana Daniel in the Canberra Times and again, Nine Newspapers again, Masters himself, and Prime Minister Albanese and his Minister in Perth.
While Memorial people do not say so explicitly in the leaked material quoted by Daley, ambivalence about BRS must have underlain the Memorial Council's contortions about how to deal with the external committee recommendation to award the prize to Masters. Memorial historian Karl James delicately set out the implications of awarding to Masters or not awarding at all. Memorial Director Matt Anderson forthrightly rejected the first option but presumably helped the Memorial Council to resurrect the rules applying to the Carlyon Award before Masters' book was an entry. This excluded Masters because he was not a first-time author as the old/new rules required.
Many issues arise: How powerful are the pro-BRS forces in the commemoration industry and at the Memorial? How inefficient are the Memorial Council's decision-making processes, particularly if it only makes decisions by consensus rather than voting? (What happens when a recalcitrant member resists all attempts at consensus, except on an impossibly ambiguous decision?) Will the imminent potential changes to the Council membership make any difference?
Chris Masters has a long association with the Memorial, so his trenchant remarks should not be taken lightly. Perhaps there's hope for change, not just on flawed heroes but also on the Australian Wars. Defending Country noted with interest Director Anderson's remark quoted by Daley, 'The first Les Carlyon Prize went to a work on Frontier Wars [Stephen Gapps, The Sydney Wars], and you know better than most through your guiding hand, considerable work on difficult content has informed what will go in the new (and existing) galleries'.
That sounds encouraging for the Memorial's treatment of the Australian Wars. Defending Country has recently seen hopeful signs. We watch and wait.
Whether the issue at the Memorial is awarding prizes for books or confronting our Black and White history, Defending Country notes two remarks by Chris Masters:
I am still fond of the place but wish they could find the courage they so eagerly honour.
It’s just so sad that they take this bloody stupid attitude.
Picture credit: detail of book cover Flawed Hero by Chris Masters
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