Lecture Access

This lecture will be available to view until 5 October 2026

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OVERVIEW

Watch on Demand | Online Lecture


Charles Bean, Australia's official war correspondent at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, did more to shape the Anzac legend than any other writer or observer. 

Selected by his peers in a national ballot, Bean stepped ashore at Anzac Cove just hours after the first Australian troops landed on 25 April 1915, and did not leave the peninsula until the penultimate day of the campaign, eight months later. He witnessed the landings, shared the troops' daily privations, and on one occasion risked his life dragging wounded men from the battlefield – an act for which he was recommended for a Military Cross. 

Filling nearly 300 notebooks, Bean's writings formed the foundation of Australia's 12-volume official war history, and his vision gave rise to the Australian War Memorial itself. 

In this lecture, Dr Kevin Fewster examines Bean's extraordinary career at Gallipoli, exploring how one man's dedication to honest, first-hand reporting transformed the story of a military campaign into the defining myth of a nation.

LECTURER

Biography

Dr Kevin Fewster AM CBE is a leading figure in maritime museums and heritage, with a career spanning over 35 years across major institutions in Australia and the United Kingdom. He served as Director of Royal Museums Greenwich (2007–2019), and previously led the Australian National Maritime Museum, South Australian Maritime Museum, and Powerhouse Museum. He has received a CBE and Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions. A historian by training, he taught at Monash University and Royal Military College, Duntroon, and remains active in maritime heritage governance.

Dr Kevin Fewster

Maritime Historian