This Sunday, the Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience will finally open for Ballarat residents. 

The city is one of only 23 across the country to hold the exhibition which will showcase the history of military service in Australia. 

Senator Ronaldson visited the exhibition for a tour on Thursday with many of the key components still under construction.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to come and see what I believe will be the experience of a life time and certainly everyone who has been to it in other (regional) centres has been blown away by it,” he said. 

For a special sneak peek – view pictures from the opening day of The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience at the Silverdome in Launceston.

“It is very interactive. We have a number of artifacts from the Australian War Memorial.”

Senator Ronaldson was the minister responsible for the exhibition before the cabinet reshuffle following the appointment of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister.  

“As the minister for who was responsible for getting this up and running I am proud of the concept but I am equally proud that it has come to my hometown.” 

Around 15,000 people toured the exhibition when it visited Albury-Wodonga recently, however, each pit stop will include local stories.  

“The feedback has been remarkable, this is not just about Ballarat but it is for people all over western Victoria,” he said. 

“This is not about glorifying war, it is about recognising a century of service, with a heavy focus on Gallipoli and the first world war. 

“It tells stories of people from the Ballarat and Western Districts, we paid a huge price.

“It talks about the nurses, it talks about the families, it talks about the impact on regional and rural communities. 

“Regional and  rural communities paid a far greater price than the major capitals, we really lost a generation of young men. 

“You go to all the small memorials around country Victoria and there are lots of names, but the surnames are basically the same. It was the sons, it was the fathers, it was the uncles, it was the grandfathers.”

The event  is being held at the Ballarat Exhibition Centre and runs from November 8 until November 14.

The exhibition is free to attend with tickets available online at http://www.spiritofanzac.gov.au/.