Symposium: Allied co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK – Bus Tour Brisbane WWII sites – Civic Reception Lord Mayor

Brisbane@War: Australia, USA, Netherlands, and UK

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific—an important milestone in global history and in Brisbane’s role as a key Allied headquarters. In commemoration, the Camp Columbia Heritage Association, in partnership with Griffith University and over 20 local and international organisations, will host a major international symposium and guided tours.

The two-day symposium will take place at Griffith University’s South Bank campus and is being developed as a hybrid event to accommodate in-person and online participants from Australia, the United States, the Netherlands, the UK, and Indonesia. The programme brings together academics, veterans’ groups, heritage experts, and the general public to explore the wartime and post-war legacies of Brisbane as a strategic Allied hub.

Join us also for an exclusive tour of Brisbane’s WWII sites, from the military headquarters of the city centre to the camps in the outer suburbs. Led by local historians, the tour will exhibit the deep history of Australian, American, Dutch and British forces during the height of WWII when the city served as a major marshalling ground for the Allied thrust in the Pacific. The tour will include bus transportation and lunch.

A Civic Reception, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, will welcome delegates and dignitaries and serve as a key ceremonial highlight of the commemorative weekend