 During and after the war , the AIF was often portrayed in glowing terms . As part of the " Anzac legend " , the soldiers were depicted as good humoured and egalitarian men who had little time for the formalities of military life or strict discipline , yet fought fiercely and skilfully in battle . Australian soldiers was also seen as resourceful and self @-@ reliant . The wartime official correspondent and post @-@ war official historian C.E.W. Bean was central to the development of this stereotype . Bean believed that the character and achievements of the AIF reflected the unique nature of rural Australians , and frequently exaggerated the democratic nature of the force and the proportion of soldiers from rural areas in his journalism and the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914 – 1918 . The perceived qualities of the AIF were seen as being unique , as the product of the harsh Australian environment , the ethos of the bush and egalitarianism . Such notions built on the concept of men from the bush being excellent natural soldiers which was prevalent in Australian culture before the war . The achievements of the AIF , especially during the Gallipoli campaign , were also frequently portrayed by Bean and others as having marked the birth of Australia as a nation . Moreover , the AIF 's performance was often seen as proof that the character of Australians had passed the test of war . 
