Australian War Memorial Volunteer Guides collect gong

The Australian War Memorial Voluntary Guides received the 2016 Education, Science and Technology Team Award the 2016 ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards on the evening of 9 May.

Director of the Australian War Memorial Dr Brendan Nelson said the excellent work of this dedicated group of men and women, known affectionately as the “Vol Guides”, was integral to the Memorial’s ability to ensure a world-class visitor experience.

“Importantly, the Memorial is able to offer these services free of charge to all visitors. This could not be achieved without this diverse group of people willing to give up their time to contribute to the preservation and sharing of our national military history,” said Dr Nelson.

“The Volunteer Guides comprise men and women from many different backgrounds. They are, and will remain, a vital part of the fabric of the Australian War Memorial. They live by the entire ethos of the Australian War Memorial – a life of value is one spent in the service of others.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the formation of the Australian War Memorial Voluntary Guides and the delivery of the first guided tour at the Memorial. Last year the guides delivered 8,826 tours to more than 60,000 people.

President of the Volunteer Guides Mr Ian Noble said the Volunteer Guides were dedicated to providing a proficient and professional service for all Memorial visitors.

“As a testament to this we initiated annual professional development training for our guides to invest in continuous improvement,” he said.

“Each guide undertakes extensive training, initially over a 12-month period, by Memorial curators, historians, and educators to ensure the service we offer reflects that expected of a world-class institution.”