On Friday 29 May, Hastings Library will be closed until 12pm for essential maintenance works. All other branches and the OLiV service remain open as normal.
On Wednesday 20 May, a new mural will be painted at Hastings Library. Some equipment may temporarily affect the entrance. The accessible ramp will remain open, and equipment can be moved as required to ensure access for larger mobility aids.
Next date: Wednesday, 17 June 2026 | 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Join author Peter Mitchell as he discusses I'll Walk Beside You, a vivid portrait of the most desperate chapter in our nation’s history.
Written from never seen before letters, diaries and oral histories, Peter weaves a story of soldiers drawn into the heart of war along a parallel story of love between real life couple Jean and Cal. After a heroic yet ill-fated defence of Java in 1942, Australian soldiers surrender and endure years of forced labour on the Burma Railway under savage conditions. Meanwhile, families in Australia endure the anguish of lost contact and uncertainty. A continuation of the acclaimed Under the Same Moon (2025), I'll Walk Beside You is an ode to heroism, the unyielding human spirit, and enduring resilience that shaped Australia’s military history.
Peter Mitchell is the author of Under the Same Moon (Big Sky Publishing, 2025) and developed a passion for history in his youth after listening to his father and his friends regularly talk about their own wartime experiences. He has an extensive military history library and has worked and travelled through most of the locations featured in I'll Walk Beside You.
Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Farrells Bookshop.
Free, bookings essential.
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Note: If you can't make it on the day, please let us know so we can free up your tickets.
Mornington Library, Vancouver Street, Mornington, 3931, View Map
Vancouver Street , Mornington 3931
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