Over the long weekend, the misses and I went away, and while going through the local town, came across a local antiques store. She likes that sort of thing, and hell, after watching an episode or two of Pawn Stars, I don't mind it either.

So we went through, and they had an Australian (and others) military section. As someone who is joining the Australian Army, I have been delving myself into any literature possible, but it was really cool holding an 'Australian Commonwealth Military Forces' badge in my hands, and seeing it was dated from 1907, I thought it was awesome. Anyhow, I bought a badge and a non-fired French bullet from 1913. Then the guy told me he was talking to a supplier about getting some 303 bayonets in, and some Vietnam era things if I was interested.

Does anyone else like/collect Australian military things?

Do your research mate...Militaria is full of cheap imitation rip offs and over priced items (Nazi era stuff is the worst genre for it). You're not going to be getting any bargains from an antique store, if anything they will be over priced as all buggery.

Be careful, There be lots of sharks in them there water you're about to step into grasshopper.

Dad's a massive fan. He has a cabinet full of original and replicated stuff - uniforms (WW1/2), helmets, boots, canteens, wire cutters, morse code kit, first aid kit, slouch hat, ammo tin, etc. He was interested in this stuff from a young age and was given a few books from a relative of a WW1 Military Medal recipient. The books were issued to soldiers and their families during the first world war. One is full of photographs particularly of the Western Front. Another is the ANZAC book - lots of comedy written by soldiers at war and also contains Birdwood's orders for the Gallipoli landings. He has quite a collection!

There's a very interesting quote in the movie "The Last Castle" about militaria.
Lt. Gen. Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford) makes a damning statement about military collections, overheard by avid collector, Col. Winter (James Gandolfini):

Irwin: [while looking at Winter's military collection] Any man with a collection like this is a man who's never set foot on a battlefield. To him a minié ball from Shiloh is just an artifact. But to a combat vet, it's a hunk of metal that caused some poor bastard a world of pain.

Thanks for the advice olks. It's the first things I've bought. So it's interesting even if it starts a new interest.

That's pretty cool whisk. Pretty amazing stuff.

Interesting Quote bluey. Maybe my interests will change once I'm serving...

I keep it pretty simple.
Since I spent some of the best years of my life as a Dashing Lighthorsemen, I'm always after a few small memento's of the Lighthorse.

It was a couple of years ago that I was walking through the Eumundi Markets on the Labor Day long weekend with one of my best friends, and we found some really nice old photo's from one of those photography mobs.

Two team photo's: the 2nd LH just before embarkation from Brisbane, and the 14th LH in Palestine just before their big advance.
I now have those two photo's combined in a lovely hardwood frame, two Regt's that were separate during their service, but are now combined on the ORBAT.

Walking around the militaria fair / gunshow held at RNA this weekend gone, I have a hankering for a repro Lighthorse sabre now....

I find stuff like that really cool. You now own a piece of history.

How'd you find the fair? I saw a sign in Adelaide for a military fair, but I was driving, and it also said something about toys and replicas... I am a but worried it will be kids (and adults) buying parts for their laser skirmish missions because they can't join...

Try FB militaria collection groups etc. You see them advertised in the sporting shooters mag a fair bit. It's just a case of keeping an ear to the ground.

Thanks. I'll check it out mate.

Think about it