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We are excited to inform you that one of the projects in which the GSV Research Team played a small, but integral, role has come to fruition. The premier of the documentary film By Far Kaymakchalan will be held this month as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Based on the work of historian Bojan Pajić, By Far Kaymakchalan tells a never before told story of Australia’s participation in World War One. Over 1500 Australian and New Zealand volunteers - nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, soldiers, sailors and aircrew - served alongside Serbian forces. Many of the volunteers were women who were pioneers in their fields and in women’s rights. Not included in the official Australian war histories, this story was mostly unknown, unrecognised and forgotten.
The film follows six Australians, Doctor Mary De Garis, nursing sister Ethel Gillingham, writer Stella Miles Franklin, Sydney socialite Olive King, as well as soldiers Niall Mullarkey and Edward Ramage who served alongside Serbian forces on the Salonika Front. Bringing the knowledge of historians, military and medical experts together with the descendants of Australian volunteers, the film brings to life the volunteers and their war service.
The GSV Research Team, particularly the late Yvonne Izatt, worked for over a year identifying and tracking the descendants of the volunteers who served. Because of this work, you can now follow Bojan and some of these descendants on their trip to Serbia where the memories of these Australians and their service are still alive.
The premiere of By Far Kaymakchalan is on Sunday July 20th at 5:10pm at the Cinema Nova, Carlton.
Tickets for the premiere are available via the Cinema Nova website. More information about the documentary can be found on the Festival’s website or by clicking here.
The trailer for the documentary can be found on the GSV’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

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