The stories of 125 Anzacs awarded Victoria Cross waiting to be told as they sit in storage

The stories of 125 Anzacs awarded a Victoria Cross are waiting to be told as they sit in storage without a permanent home.

Over the last decade, Tony Banner has been putting together a legendary collection of Australian military heroes as part of his Anzac Victoria Cross Story exhibition — a 250sqm display diving into the lives of Australia’s most awarded soldiers.

Initially, Mr Banner created the exhibition with the desire to take it on the road, with plans to tour the country and potentially beyond, but as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mr Banner’s plans were foiled.

So, he looked to set up his display permanently and moved to Harvey.

Before he could open the exhibition, the space he had planned to take over fell through.

Now, desperate to tell the story of the men he greatly admires, Mr Banner was looking for a new space to establish his mini-museum.

His collection began in 2011, when, already a keen military history buff, Mr Banner met Keith Payne, the oldest living Victoria Cross recipient who was 80 at the time.

“I already held him in high estimation, and he did this half-an-hour presentation . . . telling sorties about his Victoria Cross, his links with Indigenous soldiers and the experience he had with Indigenous veterans,” he said.

“He spoke about how he’s devoted his life after the service, working with so many charities and organisations that look after people suffering PTSD and veterans.”

I thought, these stories are going to vanish because no one was going out and telling them

That conversation inspired Mr Banner to start his collection, and more than a decade and thousands of dollars later, he had immortalised the story of every Victoria Cross recipient on posters, handcrafted wooden frames and display boards.

It was complete with replicas of the medals each solider was awarded.

The exhibition first went on display in 2020 in Albany.

From there the exhibition made trips around regional towns from Esperance to Kalgoorlie, with thousands coming to see the display wherever Mr Banner was set up.

“People would walk in and just go ‘wow’,” he said.

“Every single time I put it up, there was at least one person who comes in early and by the end of the day is still going.

Mr Banner was ready to take the collection on the road for five years, with a road map of every town and city he would visit fully planned out.

Two weeks before the journey could start, the world stopped as the COVID pandemic hit.

Today the collection sits inside a shipping container waiting to be shared, with Mr Banner desperately wanting to show off his collection to the public.

“There’s nothing like this in the world,” he said.

“I just need somewhere to put it right now, whether that’s someone’s old farm shed, or a farmer offers me a chunk of their paddock and I build the shed.

“The cost to build it is nothing for the number of people that are going to come through it, and the national and international interest it generates.”

Mr Banner said he would always keep the exhibition free to visit, with donations accepted, as he wants there to be nothing stopping the community from learning as much as possible about Anzac heroes.

“This is my gift to Australia,” he said.

“I want to put this out there so that people can enjoy it and learn from it. Some of these stories are the stuff of legend and people don’t know them.”

Mr Banner urged anyone with a lead on helping him share his exhibition to reach out on 0409 680 294 or email him at avcstory@yahoo.com.