Fred Smith and band will be performing Unforgotten: Songs of Australians at War at
the Cowra Civic Centre on 1 st August 2026 at 7:30pm.
The show is a survey in song of the experiences of Australians at war beginning with the iconic
works of Lawson, Eric Bogle, Don Walker (Cold Chisel) and John Schumann (Redgum), leading
through to his own firsthand song-stories from the valleys of Uruzgan Province.
Framed by a stunning collection of projected photos and some cheeky Aussie humour, the songs
are set in historical context, honouring the sacrifices made while suggesting
some timely questions about the costs and benefits of our “alliance wars”. The performance
offers a gritty and personal account of the on-the-ground realities faced by our soldiers in
offshore conflicts.
On 9 June 2025, Fred Smith was awarded an OAM for his work as diplomat and musician, and
unofficial storyteller of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan. The lyrics to his song Sapper’s
Lullaby are engraved in marble at the Australian plot the centuries old British War Cemetery in
Kabul.
He was the first Australian diplomat to be sent to work alongside Australian soldiers in Uruzgan
Province in 2009 and the last to leave in 2013. While there he wrote songs and put on regular
concerts performing with Australian, US and Dutch soldiers and Afghan interpreters.
Returning to Australia, Smith released these songs on the album Dust of Uruzgan. The CD
received rave reviews and earned him comparisons to Bogle, Walker, and Schumann. The title
track was covered by Lee Kernaghan on his top selling Spirit of the Anzacs album. Smith’s
memoir The Dust of Uruzgan was published in 2016 followed by The Sparrows of Kabul in
2020.
This new show Unforgotten: Songs of Australians at War marks the culmination of what, for
Smith, has been a remarkably sustained piece of storytelling setting Australia’s longest war in the
context of over a century of our alliance wars.
Tickets are now available at https://cowra.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/162526 and
community members are invited to experience this unforgettable and intimate performance.
Doors open at 7pm with the show starting at 7:30pm. Early booking is recommended.
For more information, visit www.cowraciviccentre.com. Don’t miss the chance to see Fred Smith’s
‘Unforgotten’, live at Cowra Civic Centre this Saturday night!
