Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

A hundred years ago the world witnessed our young nation's bloody baptism at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. The Anzac spirit was born in the tragedy of war. Ever since that day, the heroic displays of selfless courage by the Australian and New Zealand soldiers in that desolate place have been a source of pride for both nations and have rightly passed into our nation's folklore as legend.

Today, the Anzac spirit is part of our inheritance as Australians. It is a fundamental part of our national identity and defines how we see ourselves. Every year at Anzac Day, we, the inheritors of the Anzac spirit, have the opportunity to renew and refresh our connection with our country's history and pay homage and respect to those heroes of our country's history.

Australia's very first requiem for Gallipoli's fallen was held at St John's Cathedral in the heart of Brisbane. Close to 600 people attended the service arranged by David Garland on 10 June 1915. From that day 100 years ago, Anzac Day services have grown across Brisbane and Australia, becoming one of the most important and iconic commemorative dates on our calendar.

In the period of time leading into the Centenary of Anzac, the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program was announced in early 2013, and this program has provided the community in the electorate of Brisbane with a unique way to commemorate the Centenary of Anzac. I was joined by an exceptional group of notable community leaders in establishing a committee to provide feedback on how the community could best commemorate the centenary. The committee provided genuine feedback and views on how each project would benefit the local community with valuable input from their respective fields.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each member of the committee: Mr Tony Ralph, president of Legacy Queensland; Mr Terry Meehan, president of RSL Queensland; Mr Kevin Drinkwater, state president of the Naval Association of Australia; Mr Andrew Kilgour AM, president of RSL's South Eastern District; Mr Bill O'Chee, president of the Clayfield-Toombul RSL Sub-branch; Ms Gynith Whatmough from the War Widows' Guild in Queensland; Mr Don Currell, immediate past president of the Queensland branch of the Submariners Association of Australia; Ms Cluny Seager, committee president of the Royal Brisbane Hospitals' Nurses Association; Mr Barry Collins, state treasurer of the Queensland branch of the Naval Association of Australia; Mr Jose de Silva, state vice-president of the Queensland branch of the Naval Association of Australia; and Ms Denise Schellbach, a constituent of the Brisbane electorate.

I was absolutely delighted with the number of applications that were received from community groups and organisations from across the electorate. I was really pleased to be able to update the House on each application that was recommended to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator the Hon. Michael Ronaldson, and subsequently when they received final approval. The Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies submitted an application with a purpose to support the contribution toward the Centenary of Anzac's Jewish program, including a commemorative service, photographic exhibition and the production of educational materials. The application had strong support from the Jewish community and the exhibition centred on the involvement of Australian Jewish service men and women in WWI. Both the service at the synagogue and the travelling exhibition have enabled the local community to commemorate the Centenary of Anzac, while gaining that really valuable insight into the experience of war from a unique cultural perspective.

The work of Mates4Mates and what they do for current and ex-service men and women is nothing short of exceptional. In their application for funding, Mates4Mates established the Queenslander Challenge. That was a trek that started at Woodford and ended at the Mates4Mates' Family Recovery Centre in the heart of Albion. Mates4Mates came up with this unique idea: they commissioned 6,967 commemorative bricks to represent each of the Queenslanders who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWI. Each brick will be carried during the trek and will be used to build a commemorative monument to remember those fallen soldiers. They are going to have many treks; in the inaugural trek in August 2014, each participant was challenged and motived during the journey, while building trust and teamwork, to bring the mateship from those on the ground at Gallipoli to the present day. Each of those who participated carried a brick, which was very, very touching.

St Andrew's Uniting Church, which is based in the Brisbane CBD in the heart of my electorate, was also a grant recipient. St Andrew's has very strong ties to the community and an ongoing Anzac connection, which dates back to 1914. It is home to a number of historical items that are directly linked to WWI. The church holds a display of communion silver that was used by Chaplain Colonel Merrington at Gallipoli. He was there serving and providing holy communion. Those items serve as an ever present reminder to those who visit the church and see those beautiful goblets and displays of silver. As part of the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, major refurbishment and upgrades will be undertaken to preserve the historical items in St Andrew's Uniting Church. This very valuable part of our Anzac history and it is important that it be preserved.

New Farm State School submitted an application to refurbish the existing WWI memorial, which is a centre point for community commemorations each Anzac Day. I want to congratulate them. The original was constructed in 1922. The memorial honours the 25 former students who fell serving their country in WWI. The memorial at the school is a visible reminder for the students, families and local community of the sacrifices ordinary people from New Farm made to protect our freedom. New Farm State School has a proud history and very well-attended Anzac Day services. I have been very pleased to join in many of them to commemorate this event. Hundreds of students, parents, veterans and local community members attend each year.

The parish of St Mark's in Clayfield also has a long and notable history supporting wounded and returned soldiers. The focal point of St Mark's is a war memorial, which is a stained and leadlight glass window. Work on the memorial window commenced in 1917 and was completed in 1918. The window serves as a memorial to those soldiers from Albion, Clayfield and Wooloowin who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWI. In their application, St Mark's highlighted the need for external safety glass to ensure the window—which depicts Army, Navy, RAAF and Red Cross crests—is safe from potential damage. The parish of St Mark's also holds a roll of honour, listing 111 names of members from the local community who did not return home from WWI. St Mark's has long been involved in the public commemorations for Anzac Day. On approval, the parish are now able to highlight a significant part of the history and the impact of war to those in the local community.

In 1915, the Dungaree's recruitment march travelled from Warwick to Brisbane. They travelled 270 kilometres, signing 125 recruits along the way. To commemorate the epic journey, the Military Brotherhood's military motorcycle club has planned a trip to retrace the route, concluding in Albert Square—which is now known as King George Square. It is going to be held in November 2015 and a commemorative cast bronze plaque will be placed in Brisbane to recognise the centenary of the Dungaree's march and to coincide with the Centenary of Anzac. As part of the Military Brotherhood's military motorcycle club, serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Forces and Commonwealth forces provide each other with camaraderie, mateship and support.

During WWI, 86 nurses, 30 doctors and many orderlies from the Royal Brisbane Hospital dedicated their services and faced great adversity while serving overseas. I was pleased to be at the hospital when photos, stories and a display dedicated to those men and women who served were unveiled. In the heart of Herston, an exhibition has been developed by the committee of the Royal Brisbane Hospitals Nurses Association to display a significant collection of memorabilia from 1914 to 1918. The exhibition was very well attended and was opened by the Governor-General. Windsor State School also marked the Centenary of Anzac with plaques naming 14 students from the school who died in the First World War.

There are many more of these commemorative celebrations that I can talk about. I am honoured to be able to have been to many of these events and to continue to build a sense of awareness and participation in Anzac Day across my local community. My our memory of them never fade. Lest we forget.

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