Tasmanian Leslie Harry Geeves of Geeveston, veteran of the Boer War, was the bearer of experience from one war to the next; a true Briton, a patriot and loyal to the last.

A venerated oarsman from South Australia, who used his skill at one of the most famous events in Australian history - the Gallipoli landings of 25 April 1915.

Verdi Schwinghammer, from South Grafton, NSW, made the most of his war service and became a prolific tourist in between the "war" and "service" parts of his time abroad. He even made the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 for...

The story of a man from Kerang, Victoria, who shows us how strong community ties can be maintained even with half the boys of the town on the other side of the world.

A band geek and a boy - yes, he was underage - from Darwin, NT, who left the Cable Guard and the Darwin Town Brass Band behind to enlist in 1915. Wounded three times at war, would he come home?

A man from Bendigo who was described as a coward by some at home, but who had a vigorous defender to point out how much courage it took to do ordinary things like work in the cookhouse.

A man whose story runs from the fashion industry of the 1910s to farming in the Second World War. But, with almost no mental health assistance to be had, a story that ends in the worst way.

A man from Melbourne who survived the torpedoing of the troopship Southland, when his brother did not.

An AFL player who grew up in Broken Hill, Dave Low was one of a handful of SANFL players to serve in the First World War, and the only Magarey Medallist to be killed.

A true celebrity of the AIF, Major Oliver Hogue, camelier and lighthorseman of Sydney, NSW, was a talented wordsmith read by households across Australia.

A methodist minister from Molong who was always described as a MAN™, but who was in reality one willing to make a proper self-sacrifice.

An enterprising man from Traralgon who served through the entire war with the Australian Engineers, and then came home and settled down.

The story of a pretty good footballer from Bombala, NSW, and the odds he had to overcome to be considered a great bloke and everyone's mate.

The story of a pearler from Broome, Western Australia, and some of the stories he left in the hills above Anzac Cove, Gallipoli.

A man once said to have lived "one of the most criminal lives of a soldier in the AIF," but perhaps really just a bit of a naughty boy.

The story of a community minded Queenslander who turned in one of the most selfless acts of any Australian in the war.

The story of a very ordinary South Australian, his extraordinary brothers, and why I might choose to study the First AIF one guy at a time.

Before launching into a series of stories of individuals, let's talk about the stereotypes - what did Australians think they were like before the war began?