People who have an interest in the ANZAC tradition including those who have made a pilgrimage to Gallipoli are invited to take part in a new UQ research project.
Chief investigator Dr Jan Packer from the UQ School of Tourism is seeking volunteers’ views on the ANZAC spirit and its associated qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice and how that may have changed over time.
“As we approach the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, we are interested in the meanings that the ANZAC tradition has for Australians today," Dr Packer said.
In 2015, Australia and New Zealand will commemorate the centenary, with up to 50,000 people expected to travel to Turkey to be part of the event.
Dr Packer said the research would explore how visits to battlefield sites and museums such as the Australian War Memorial might impact on visitors’ sense of national identity.
“This work will help museums and tourism operators understand how to deliver the kind of visitor experience which suits today’s traveller,” she said.
Participants will share their thoughts at a series of focus groups held at UQ, with volunteers receiving a movie voucher for their involvement.
Those interested in taking part in the study should contact Dr Jan Packer (07 3346 7789, j.packer@uq.edu.au) or Alison Moore (07 3367 0874).
