ABC - When the War Came to Australia (1991) Part 4 The Long War Counting the Cost

This four part series, as seen on ABC TV, tells the story from the point of view of ordinary Australians on the Home Front during World War II. Personal recollections, rare archival footage and the music of the time combine to create an evocative and haunting picture of this unique picture in Australian history. This social history of the impact of World War II on Australia focuses on how the war was greeted on the homefront; the reaction to the arrival of the Americans; the fears generated by the bombing of Darwin and Japanese submarines in Sydney Harbour; the PoW experience; and the roles and challenges the war presented to women. Although more Australians were killed in the World War I than in World War II, many more Australians were directly affected by the World War II. It continued two years longer, it was closer to home, the enemy actually attacked Australian soil and greater demands were made upon the economy. This ABC television series contains the recollections of hundreds of people interviewed about their feelings and experiences of war in Australia. “When the War Came to Australia” presents the shared experiences of millions of Australians who did not serve overseas, but contributed in their own ways to the war effort.

Part 4 The Long War Counting the Cost

The war is ending, and Australians must face the consequences of over six years of war - a toll of shattered lives and limbs and unrealised dreams. After Victory in the Pacific, it is a weary nation that welcomes its soldiers home. Australia was changed forever by the War. Australians moved away from 'Home'- Britain and the Empire and moved as closer and more permanent links were forged across the Pacific. The beginnings of closer relations with the nations of Asia, which were soon to become independent, began to emerge. The war years have changed forever the way Australians see themselves and their future relationship to America. What did the six years of war mean to the average Aussie, and how did it affect their lives?

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