History of the exhibition John Curtin, A man of peace, A time of war

John Curtin, A man of peace, A time of war was developed in conjunction with the National Archives of Australia and formed part of the JCPML public program of social and political history. An online version of the exhibition is now available. The exhibition featured documents, photographs, sound recordings and moving footage drawn mainly from the collections of the National Archives and the JCPML.

The exhibition briefly summarised Curtin's life story, then focused on the achievements and challenges of his period as wartime Prime Minister from 1941 to 1945.

The purpose of the exhibition was to explore the complexities of Curtin's story and interpret a range of views on his role in Australian history. This dynamic, engaging and accessible exhibition brought to life the story of Australia during World War II.

The final section of the exhibition analysed Curtin's status today. A range of prominent Australians, including past and present politicians, journalists, academics and performers, provided brief written comments on their views of John Curtin.

Visitors to the exhibition were given the opportunity to write down their own views of our wartime Prime Minister.

The concept of the exhibition was conceived in 1995 to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of Curtin's death and the end of World War II. The exhibition had its debut opening at Parliament House, Canberra and from there it travelled to various venues around Australia before coming to Western Australia to the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library's Wesfarmers' Gallery.