On April 24, Chief of Personnel for the Australian Defence Force Lieutenant General Natasha Fox opened a new exhibition at the Army Museum of Tasmania at Anglesea Barracks in Hobart.

The exhibition brings to life the stories behind a unique collection of Tasmanian military uniforms.

The exhibition features seven uniforms that belonged to Tasmanians who have served in the Australian armed forces, from Federation to the present day.

Included in the collection is a uniform worn by Lieutenant General Fox, who is the most senior Army officer from Tasmania in Australian Army history.

In remarks to museum volunteers and guests at the exhibition launch, Lieutenant General Fox spoke about the significance of the collection and thanked the museum’s staff and curators.

“There are so many Tasmanians who have deployed and done extraordinary things. Without your storytelling, the community would never know what Tasmania has contributed to Australia’s military history,” Lieutenant General Fox said.

“I feel so incredibly honoured and humbled to have my uniform included in the exhibition.”

'We realised that the collection of uniforms at the museum had become quite extensive and deserved to be showcased.'

The exhibit includes a uniform worn by Major (retd) Brent Maddock, an engineer officer with operational service from Namibia in the late 1980s to the mid-2000s. Major Maddock is a donor to the museum.

“When the museum approached me for a donation, I got out trunks of gear from the 10 deployments over my 40-year career,” Major Maddock said.

“It’s been great to get it out of storage and have it in a collection where it can be viewed by museum visitors.”

Manager of the museum Major Chris Talbot explained how the idea for the exhibition was conceived. 

“We realised that the collection of uniforms at the museum had become quite extensive and deserved to be showcased. It reaches back to a British regimental coatee and covers a broad range of uniforms from Federation, through the volunteer period, to contemporary times,” Major Talbot said.

“I hope that it helps people appreciate the Tasmanian contribution to all aspects of military service through our history.”