Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Dr Will Davies has published half a score of books and produced over 30 documentaries, most of which concern Australian military history. Will began working with Film Australia in 1972 following study at ANU. He worked overseas briefly with the BBC before establishing Look Film Productions in 1977. During this period he also worked freelance in the emerging Australian film industry, with stints on a number of feature films, including Phar Lap, Monkey Grip and Hostage. In 1983 he produced his first television documentary, and for the next 30 years he produced a broad range of documentaries, corporate films and educational programs, mainly for the likes of the ABC and SBS. In 2010 he closed his Crows Nest production office after 28 years and retired to the northern beaches. His magnum opus, Somme Mud, is a bestseller in Australia, the UK and the Netherlands. Will's other books include The Forgottenand The Boy Colonel; however, Will has an even greater project in the pipeline. In leading tours of the Western Front and Normandy battlefields, Will decided to help the mayor of Pozieres rebuild a small village school. So today let us look to Mr Davies's extraordinary work as an exemplar of keeping our history alive. (Time expired)