General News
30 March, 2023
Pam's badge of honour
Pam Cupper is always eager to both increase her knowledge of Australian history and to share it with others. The accolades that follow sometimes surprise her. The latest recognition for Ms Cupper OAM, one of the region's most respected historians...
Pam Cupper is always eager to both increase her knowledge of Australian history and to share it with others.
The accolades that follow sometimes surprise her.
The latest recognition for Ms Cupper OAM, one of the region's most respected historians, was on the ABC Sunday morning radio program Australia All Over recently when host Ian McNamara named her as his program’s Australian of the Year for 2023.
The two have engaged in many war-related on-air conversations over the decades, including when Ms Cupper and "Macca" were together in Auckland Museum, New Zealand, for a special Anzac Day broadcast in 2005.
The museum is noted for its Anzac presentations.
Her first war book, produced with husband Phil Taylor, was launched in 1989.
The couple, working in London and cycling around the Mediterranean, was having difficulty finding landmarks etched permanently in Australia’s history.
The tranquil beaches on Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula appeared a world away from the blood-soaked battles that occurred there and helped shape World War I history.
There were no signs, no guide books and no indication of the horrific scenes which had played out on that scenic peninsula.
“During our two weeks riding and camping there we met just two Australians, and they were lost,” Ms Cupper said.
“We decided then we’d write a guide.”
The first plan was to publish a pamphlet but instead it turned into a long-term project, attracting an Australian War Memorial grant along the way.
Ms Cupper was to visit Turkey four times, and Mr Taylor three, before they completed the detailed study on the Turkish battlefields where almost 300,000 Australians served, with 8148 killed and 18,000 wounded at famous landmarks including Anzac Cove, Lone Pine and The Nek.
The result after nearly a decade of meticulous study was the 264-page Gallipoli: A Battlefield Guide.
It was the first guide for Australians at Gallipoli and was met with huge interest and acclaim.
The book was soon in reprint several times.
This was in the pre-internet era when information had to be sourced from books, libraries and many trips to Melbourne and Canberra.
The Taylor-Cupper home library in Dimboola contains thousands of catalogued books.
After that, tour guiding kicked off.
In 1990 Ms Cupper was the guide for an Australian group to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Gallipoli.
Then Prime Minister Bob Hawke also attended, along with a group of ageing veterans who had served there.
Many other tours have followed to both Gallipoli and the Western Front for many groups, ranging from students to people with an interest in war history.
Student recipients of the Spirit of Australia award have also benefitted from Ms Cupper's knowledge.
Her interest in military history, flamed by her husband, is personal.
Her grandfather served and was wounded at Gallipoli and her father served in the Middle East during World War II.
The interests of the former history and geography secondary teacher and former assistant principal extend beyond war.
She has authored or co-authored many text books for students at all levels, on topics as diverse as Australia's Federation, mapping skills, and the French and Russian revolutions.
Her Order of the Medal of Australia, granted in 2021, was for her contribution to military history and education.
She is also a talented speaker who is keenly sought to stand at the podium at schools, conferences and events, especially during Anzac Day and Remembrance Day events.
Ms Cupper has not yet embraced retirement.
She works part-time for a commercial company that produces material for VCE history students.
This also includes lecturing and preparing revision material and trial exams.
"When I announced my retirement from teaching, within two weeks I had offers of three part-time jobs," she said.