On 12 November 1974, Australian peacekeeper Sergeant Ian Ward tragically lost his life when the UN Land Rover he was in hit a landmine while escorting a Turkish family through No Man’s land between Cyprus and Greece. The path had turned out to be a minefield. .On Secondment from NSW Police Sergeant Ward had only been in the island for 5 days. Fellow Sydney Officer John Walcott was driving and was seriously injured. He survived the blast as did two teenage girls in the back, their father died as did Sergeant Ward.

The landrover lay rusting in the buffer zone between the Greeks and the Turks for 42 years, eventually transferred to the UN protected area in 2016. Now finally home in Australia, the landrover will be the centre piece of the display.

the Australian Peacekeeping: 1947 to Today gallery, opening in 2026.

It is  a powerful reminder of the risks our peacekeepers face in conflict zones across the globe.

Lest We Forget. Read the full story and learn more about the journey of Sergeant Ian Ward’s Land Rover at the Australian War Memorial

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