She said ‘I do’ – then went straight into a war zone
Tamara Sloper-Harding’s wedding day in 1999 should have been all about celebration, laughter and dancing. Instead, it became a day she would never forget for another reason entirely. Part way through the reception, her mobile phone rang. She was being deployed to East Timor immediately.
‘I knew that something might be happening soon, but I had hoped to make it through the wedding,’ Tamara, a former Lieutenant, said. ‘Then the call came, and suddenly I had to switch from bride to service member – it was surreal.’
The rest of the evening was a blur of notes, phone calls and last-minute preparations. A week later, instead of being on her honeymoon, she was in Dili – a city ravaged by conflict – as part of Australia’s peacekeeping operations.
‘It was shocking to see the destruction up close,’ Tamara recalls. ‘One moment I was surrounded by family and friends, the next I was in the middle of a tense operational zone. You just had to adapt – fast.'
Her wedding shoes and combat boots will sit side by side in the Australian War Memorial’s (AWM) new Peacekeeping Gallery. Six years in the making, the gallery showcases the experiences of Australians who have served in peacekeeping missions worldwide.
AWM Historian Dr David Sutton said that peacekeeping is a vital part of Australia’s military history, but it’s often overlooked. ‘This gallery puts people first, highlighting the extraordinary work done in challenging conditions, and showing how service takes many forms,’ David said.
For Tamara, her wedding shoes and combat boots, now sitting in a glass case, are a quiet but powerful reminder of a day that spanned joy and duty. ‘When I see them, I remember how quickly life can change and how you keep going, even when the world shifts beneath your feet,’ she said.
For visitors to the AWM, they are a doorway into the extraordinary world of Australian peacekeeping: a story of resilience, commitment, and humanity. (The AWM’s new galleries will officially open in mid-2026.)
