2026 Wilks Oration - The Future of Memory

The Effective Living Centre is delighted to welcome Professor Peter Stanley as this year's guest orator, speaking on The Future of Memory.

Remembrance of war in Australia has largely gone unquestioned. As society changes. we face renewed questions about commemoration in a very different nation. Australians are rightly asking questions about who and what we ‘remember’, why and how, and what we continue to forget. Professor Stanley argues that while the understanding and commemoration of war’s place in Australian history remains important, the nexus between commemoration, Christianity, militarism, and nationalism needs to be questioned. Commemoration needs to embrace the frontier war that constituted the foundation of the Australian nation, and memories of wars among the people of a much more diverse nation.

Peter Stanley retired as Research Professor at UNSW Canberra in 2023. He was formerly Principal Historian at the Australian War Memorial, where he worked from 1980 to 2007. Peter is the author of 50 fiction and non-fiction books, many in Australian military history, including Bad Characters, on indiscipline in the Great War, which jointly won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History in 2011. One of his most recent books was Beyond The Broken Years (2024), the first history of the writing of Australian military history. Peter is a Principal of Heritage Guardians and of Defending Country, groups critical of the unnecessary expansion of the Australian War Memorial and dedicated to it acknowledging the interpretation and commemoration of frontier conflict.

The evening will commence at 7.00pm with music, drinks and nibbles and formal proceedings will get underway at 7.30pm.

Music this year will be provided by the Fiddle Chicks, an Adelaide-based original folk duo featuring Dee Trewartha and Emma Luker. Known for their energetic, minimalist sound, they perform with twin fiddles, bass fiddle, and stomp boxes. With over 20 years in the Australian folk scene, they blend original compositions with Celtic, Gypsy, Blues, and Roots influences.

General admission $40, Concession $30, Live stream $10.

Please purchase tickets online at: https://events.humanitix.com/2026-wilks-oration-professor-peter-stanley

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