Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

What an amazing event Anzac Day was for so many people and so many communities. The member for Canberra's contribution is an illustration of events that took place all around our country to remember, to reflect and not to celebrate but commemorate those people that gave so much for our country and the country that we all love so very much.

It is a privilege for me to contribute to this debate. I imagine that most members of parliament will take this opportunity. The collation of all these recollections will form part of a wonderful memorial at the national War Memorial, if nothing else from a historical point of view to try to capture how, as a nation in 2015, we commemorated the centenary of Anzac.

I attended three services on Anzac Day. I could have attended many more. There were 36 towns around my electorate that held services. In total we were able to ascertain 57 services around the electorate of Lyons, from small communities to some of the larger towns. I have no doubt that that there were also some private services around the electorate. There has been a private service held on top of a hill at the property of Patterdale near the town of Deddington in the northern Midlands to remember some brothers who were killed in the First World War, and I understand they held that service again this year.

The first service I attended was the dawn service at Beaconsfield, coordinated by Mr Colin Smee, the president of the RSL at Beaconsfield. At 9 o'clock I attended the service at Bishopsburn in the northern Midlands. That was coordinated by Mr Gordon McGee, and I had an opportunity to address the very large crowd that was at that 9 o'clock service. Large crowds were the case at every service as I understand it, around Tasmania and I believe around the country as well. There was also a fine contribution made by Gordon McGee's grandson, Bradley.

Perhaps the highlight for me was the opportunity that I was given in being invited to speak at the 11 o'clock service at Evandale. It was a wonderful occasion in a beautiful setting. There was a very large crowd there. The school band from the Launceston College performed and they had a choir. It really was a very wonderful commemoratives service, and a real privilege for me to be able to speak to the gathering there.

As well as that, in conjunction with the Anzac Day service we had the Centenary of Anzac opening of a mural wall that was alongside the park where the cenotaph stands. It will be a lasting reminder for the people of Evandale of the contribution that was made by so many in World War I. My congratulations go to the Evandale History Society for that particular Centenary of Anzac project.

Similarly, at Avoca at 1 o'clock—although I missed the service at 11 o'clock service, naturally enough. I thank Mary Knowles very much; she maintained a small gathering there to open the Centenary of Anzac commemoration that they had organised at Avoca, which was to install commemoratives plaques at the museum to honour the Anzacs who enlisted from Avoca. It really was a very nice recognition.

Indeed, there are a number that I would like to mention as part of the Centenary of Anzac. I will not go into detail, but it has been truly a highlight for me over the last 12 months to have been part of seeing these communities deliver these wonderful commemorations as part of the Centenary of Anzac. I think of the Sheffield RSL and Citizens Club. Sheffield, as people who have been to Sheffield know, is the town of murals. They now have a wonderful recognition in the form of a mural in that town.

There was a very small project: the Frankford Soldiers Memorial Hall committee has installed honour boards at the Frankford hall—long overdue. A more significant project was at St Helens, where the St Helens-St Marys branch of the RSL has created a wall of remembrance to honour all of the Tasmanian war dead. It is the only place, as I understand it, in the state where there is a list of every person who served in World War I. I am very proud to say that there was an uncle of my grandfather's on that list as well.

The Exeter RSL Sub-Branch had some honour boards. I was very pleased to have the Prime Minister open those during his time in Tasmania with the Pollie Pedal. The Levendale and Woodsdale History Rooms now have a memorial garden made from local rocks that were collected to remember the men that served in both World War I and World War II. The    Liffey Old School Hall is no longer a school—they received only $1,000 but it was a significant contribution to restore the commemorative tree avenue at the Liffey Old School Hall. Those people who left that community to serve in the First World War will now be remembered.

I mentioned the Evandale History Society. The RSL sub-branch at Westbury received a grant to improve access and to establish a heritage remembrance garden. The Kentish Council had a project at Wilmot, where they installed memorial plaques. The Northern Midlands RSL Sub-Branch at Longford received a grant for their Anzac Day 2015 commemorations. I was unable to attend the service, but this was something of truly epic proportions from what I can understand. They do a tremendous job.

Recently, I attended the Eaglehawk Neck Community Hall, where they have used timber from the memorial avenue trees at the Port Arthur historic site. Some of those trees had fallen into disrepair and had to be removed for safety reasons. The timber from the macrocarpa has been sawn and has been made into picnic benches, all of which have a memorial plaque on them, at Eaglehawk Neck and at other parts on the Tasman Peninsula. If anyone is passing that part of the world, it is perhaps the most stunning place where you could have a memorial—overlooking the bay at Eaglehawk Neck. It really is very special.

The Deloraine RSL Sub-Branch Anzac Centenary 2015 day of commemoration activities—'A Living Memorial'—was recognised. And there was the Brighton Council. Of course, Brighton has a very significant history as far as Tasmania and World War I are concerned. It was where my grandfather served. Like so many, he enlisted—Albert Russell Cordell—but because of his eyesight he was considered unable to go to Gallipoli, where his brothers did. He lost an uncle in World War I as well. But he served his time as a trainer at the Brighton Army Camp, as it was.

The Southern Midlands Council had truly wonderful commemorations at Oatlands, Campania and Kempton schools, which I attended, for those communities in the southern Midlands about those who gave their lives in World War I. The Bicheno RSL Sub-Branch has established a new Anzac memorial. Lastly, Clarence Point on the West Tamar will receive an amount of money to support their project, which is, again, to install honour boards and a story board as part of an avenue of honour.

As I say, it has been a real highlight for me and I have no doubt for many other members in this place to have been able to support the local communities as we remembered and as we commemorated 100 years since World War I. For me it has been an absolute privilege and a real highlight of my time as the member for Lyons.

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