Volunteers

The Australian War Memorial has nearly 300 volunteers actively contributing to its Mission of remembering, commemorating and interpreting the Australian sacrifice in war. Volunteers perform a wide variety of jobs at the Memorial, both as front-of-house staff and working behind the scenes.

Become a volunteer

To become a volunteer at the Memorial please complete and return the application form, available in PDF or RTF versions.

Volunteers are recruited through advertising in Saturday's Canberra Times and contacting relevant departments in Canberra universities, CIT campuses and colleges. An information pack outlining duties, responsibilities and training requirements is sent out to all interested in volunteering. For most areas of volunteering there is a formal interview process.

Memorial's Volunteer Programs draw much interest from the local Canberra community. Apart from the formal recruiting process, the Volunteers Manager throughout the year records the details of people interested in volunteering and when intakes begin, forwards information and application forms. Many visitors to the Memorial also enquire about its Volunteer Programs, and they are processed in similar fashion.

Volunteers receive appropriate training relevant to their work, unless they have been recruited because of a special skill they possess. Training periods vary from 2-3 afternoon sessions, up to a 6-month training period for Voluntary Guides. Training is provided by expert Memorial staff, such as curators, historians and educators, together with a mixture of guest speakers with expertise in special areas. Volunteers in the Education & Visitor Services Section also have a Continuing Training Program that runs every 1-2 months and includes lectures and workshops relevant to the particular jobs.

Volunteers at the Memorial come from all walks of life - from retired aircraft mechanics, ex-service personnel and medical doctors, to students, teachers and others, of varying ages. The minimum required age for volunteers is 16 years, and we have many 70 year olds still actively contributing their skill and time. All volunteers receive invitations to ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies and are eligible for discounts at the Memorial Shop and The Outpost and the Landing Place Cafés, as well as being able to attend the various military history lectures organised by the Australian War Memorial. Voluntary Guides are also members of the Australian Association of Gallery Guides Organisation (AAGGO), and the Australian War Memorial pays their membership.

The contribution made by the Volunteers at the Memorial is greatly appreciated and valued by the Memorial management, staff and the visiting public - evidenced by the Memorial winning the Silver Prize in the Department of Finance and Administration's Service Charter Awards. We were the only cultural institution to win this prize. Such awards result from a strong culture of customer service. The other main strength is the effective system of volunteers incorporated into the Memorial's operations, and the integration of respect and commemoration into all our activities.

Management of the Volunteer Program

The two Volunteer Managers or Coordinators and one Assistant Volunteers Manager conduct all administrative work related to volunteers. The Volunteer Coordinator at Treloar also performs conservation work 2 days a week, while the E&VS Volunteer Services Unit employs two staff who look after volunteers full-time. Various National Collections staff also supervise the volunteers they employ on various projects.

Volunteer opportunities

Volunteers help out in the:

Voluntary Guides

Voluntary Guides provide a range of interpretive services for visitors to the Memorial. Services include conducting guided tours for the general public and special interest groups.

The Research Centre's Online Gallery

The Research Centre provides access to an irreplaceable collection of official and unofficial diaries and papers, photographs, film, sound and art. The Centre is the first point of contact for public enquiries concerning these collections. Online Gallery volunteers provide an important service for visitors to the Research Centre, especially for those who have not previously used its facilities.

Discovery Zone

The new Discovery Zone is an interactive learning space for students and families. Visitors can climb aboard a real Iroquois helicopter, crawl through a First World War trench, operate the sonar on an Oberon Class submarine, play in a typical Australian Second World War backyard or help Australian peacekeepers get supplies to a village. Volunteers should be able to communicate well with young people, enjoy the hands-on approach of the Discovery Zone, and have an interest in the purpose and content of the Memorial.

Treloar Technology Centre

The Treloar Technology Centre houses the Australian War Memorial's large technology collection. In the workshop, volunteers assist conservators prepare relics for storage and display. Conservation may involve cleaning, repairing damaged components, fabricating new components, and reassembly. Volunteers also work in conservation laboratories treating textiles and paper based artifacts.

For further details about volunteering at the Memorial please contact the Volunteers coordinator.