AWM and Google launch Remember me app for Australian schools

Today at Mount Pritchard Public School the Australian War Memorial and Google Australia launched a new online application for school children across the country to use as part of the First World War Roll of Honour Soundscape project.

Google Australia has built a website called Remember me, which allows Australian schools and students with an internet connection to record the names of the 62,000 servicemen and servicewomen who died in the First World War as part of the Memorial’s Soundscape project

The Remember me app allows the students to record these names in their classroom – the names and ages of those who lost their lives while serving in the First World War will then be played over speakers in the Memorial’s Commemorative Area in Canberra.

Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson, welcomed the project as a key Memorial outreach program to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

“The Soundscape project brings relevance to the younger generation of Australians who may not know a lot about the men and women who fought and died for Australia during the First World War,” said Dr Nelson.

“The aim is to collect spoken recordings for the names of all 62,000 Australians who died in the First World War over the next four years and their recordings will become a permanent part of the National Collection.”

NSW Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Assistant Minister for Education, The Hon Victor Dominello MP, said the NSW Government was proud to have Mount Pritchard Public School as the first school to try the Remember me app.

“I commend the Australian War Memorial and Google for this excellent initiative and encourage all NSW schools to get involved. I am confident students will embrace this opportunity, knowing their voices will play at the Memorial’s First World War cloister as part of the Roll of Honour in Canberra.

“Through the app, students are able to build a personal connection to the centenary commemorations and Australia’s involvement in the First World War.

“We know that some 21,000 service men and women from NSW died during the Great War, so it’s great to see one of our State’s public schools leading the way with the recording project.”

Engineering Director of Google Australia, Mr Alan Noble, said this project inspires a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made by our soldiers in the First World War.

“We hope Remember me encourages young Australians from every corner of the country to research their family’s history, record a name, and reflect on the service of Australia’s fallen men and women,” said Mr Noble.

Once a teacher has registered their school and class on the Remember me website, each student can then select a fallen First World War soldier and create a voice recording of their name and age.

Speaking at the launch were Mount Pritchard Public School Captain Abbey-Jane Bergan and Assistant Principal Ms Courtney Knight.