Albany is one of those towns that hints at the past and the future together. We stopped to look at “The Church of St John the Evangelist” in the main area of the town. It is open to the public and if you like old churches it is a lovely one to see. Not that I am one but I was impressed with the church. The sun was shining through the stained glass windows lit up the inside with colour. As the church is open to the public there was a docent to answer any questions. When we were there the docent was a man name Ron. He was an old retied farmer. He spoke so lovingly about the church and it’s history. The first dawn service for Anzac day in Australia was held there and the cost of the first bells was £160. He even let us ring the bell.
Many of our Anzacs set sail from Albany. In honor of them a War Museum has been built. It will take you on a personal journey through World War 1 and beyond. It is a personal journey, as when you enter the museum you will be given the name of a person who set sail from Albany for the war. I told the curator I didn’t know if I liked that idea or not. She told me with a smile that they had a box of tissues at the desk for when we finished.
You place the cards on a black light boxes and information about the individual comes up on large touch screens throughout the museum. My card informed me my person was 22 when he set sail and after 8 months of fighting he became a prisoner of war and died a month before the end.
Name of those who set sail scroll though a water feature which points to the bay they left from. The names kept on rolling on and on. Seats sat along the walls for all those who would like to sit and reflect on what was lasted.
Outside you could play on the big guns. Many things twisted and turned. Things went up and down. Something even went round and round.
Roaming Russells 