Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Anzac Day this year we passed that moment when, exactly 100 years ago, our young Anzacs stepped off the boats under a breaking Gallipoli dawn. That moment—and the many terrible ones to follow—are woven into our national identity because of what they were to reveal: the acts of courage, sacrifice, mateship and heartbreak. On that morning in 1915 this young army of volunteer soldiers was committed to an impossible objective along those chalky cliffs and ridges. For the next eight months, that place would be their mission and their home. It was here that the 'digger' came into being. Of course, it was a tactical blunder that put them there—one totally beyond their control. The eight-month bloody stalemate that followed was to no military gain.

The Gallipoli campaign proved to be a prelude to the much larger tragedy of the First World War between 1914 and 1918, with a shocking loss of life and dreadful injuries. One hundred years on, across Australia, in our cities, suburbs and towns, people of all walks of life gathered in record numbers to remember them. Importantly, we saw the next generation of young people take ownership of our commemorations like never before.

In my electorate of Jagajaga, a series of milestone projects were supported under the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Progam, announced by Prime Minister Gillard in April 2012

My local Electorate Committee has worked very hard to ensure that every resident has the chance to engage in our commemorations through to 2018. I thank all the members of the Electorate Committee including: Jeff Mawkes, Watsonia RSL; Bill Telfer, Greensborough RSL; Rob Winther from the Austin Repatriation Hospital; Fred Cullen, Ivanhoe RSL; and those who supported the work of the committee—Nillumbik Shire Council, Banyule Council, the Australian Army Signals Historical Foundation at Simpson Army Barracks, as well as our local historical societies.

A very special thanks must go to President Bill McKenna of the Montmorency-Eltham RSL. For two years, Bill has worked closely with each of our local RSLs, councils, local schools and my office. I would also like to particularly thank one of my electorate staff, Antony Kenney. Bill hosted planning meetings, knocked on doors and tied everything together. We got some tremendous projects delivered, including: a commemorative ceramic mosaic project depicting the human stories of Gallipoli, which will be at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital; a project to digitise precious film negatives from World War One Army Signallers at the Simpson Barracks in my electorate; an innovative project to install interpretive signage at the Kangaroo Ground Memorial Tower; and an extension to the War Memorial cenotaph in Eltham.

The Jagajaga Schools ANZAC Centenary Commemorative Service, led by local school students. It was held at Petrie Park, the home of the Montmorency-Eltham RSL. This event was supported by over 1200 students from six local schools, and I would like to thank them all: Loyola College, Eltham College, Catholic Ladies College, Montmorency Secondary School, Bundoora Secondary School and Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School. At Petrie Park that day we saw inspiring young future leaders from each of these schools play their part to spread a strong message of peace in our community.

The role of event MC was provided by James Hone from Montmorency Secondary College, our college captain and an extremely impressive young leader who steered the event through to conclusion. I extend my thanks to him for the central role he played. Campbell Wilson, also from Montmorency Secondary College, offered a very haunting performance of Flowers of the Forest on the bagpipes; Loyola College provided the catafalque and flag bearer party; Sean-Donehue from Eltham College sang an extraordinary rendition of Amazing Grace and also led their boys choir in the New Zealand National Anthem, and Sean sang the first verse of that anthem in Maori. Many commented on how powerful Sean's voice was for such a young man, and I know we will hear many more great things from him in the future. Eltham College also led the Australian National Anthem.

Keisha Healy and Malik Sitou from Bundoora Secondary College led the ANZAC Requiem, which is always, of course, a very moving moment; the Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School Chamber Choir sang a beautiful rendition of Here You Lie (Side by Side); the Catholic Ladies College led the Lord's Prayer and Laura Lazzara, from that great school, offered the Ode and Lest We Forget. The Heidelberg Brass Band provided the Last Post to cap off a very inspiring and stirring event.

This very successful event—like the rest that will follow—will help to spread the message of peace: that war is never something to be glorified, but that we take this opportunity, and will continue to do so, to acknowledge the sacrifice made by so many. As a community, we must always work towards enhancing peace, understanding and tolerance. Importantly, these projects will help shed new light on our local ANZAC stories and where possible reveal new ones, because our community has its own fascinating stories to tell. We have a local historian and resident, Terry Phillips, a man who has done enormous amounts of local research and has records that indicate the last man off Gallipoli came from Greensborough. One of the most prominent works of art commemorating fallen soldiers from the First World War in the Australian War Memorial, Menin Gate at Midnight, was painted by William Longstaff, an Eltham resident. William Longstaff served in the Australian Remount Unit in the Middle East, where his commanding officer was none other than Banjo Paterson. These are just two fascinating snippets of many local stories that will be told and retold through these projects, as we commemorate the Centenary of ANZAC through to 2018. Once again I would like to thank all of those involved for all the work they have done—especially our local RSLs and Bill McKenna in particular—to make this a very special time for all our local residents.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Centenary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli was commemorated in my electorate of Moore and in communities across the nation at ceremonies and local events. This significant event in our national history has contributed to our Australian national identity and the values which we hold dear, including devotion to duty, loyalty to one's mates, personal sacrifice and service to our country. At that time, Australia was a young nation, barely 15 years out of Federation, and the First World War represented our first substantive entry onto the international stage. Patriotic Australians, keen to do their duty for king and country enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces.

The First World War unleashed the horror of modern warfare on an unprecedented scale. The period between 1870 and the early 1900s represented a significant era in the development of small arms and artillery. The technological development of modern nitro-cellulose based explosives, propellant and cartridges led to the design and development of automatic weapons with high sustained rates of fire, and artillery with explosive ordnance. These technological advances changed the ground rules of warfare: never before in history had such lethal and effective weapons been deployed on the battlefield, inflicting heavy casualties and loss of life. The Anzac troops were confronted with the sombre reality of entrenched machine gun positions and the appalling stalemate conditions of trench warfare. In these conditions of hardship and deprivation, the Anzac spirit was born out of our troops' support of each other.

In the context of a world that is faced with conflict and security concerns, it is important that these Anzac values be maintained and passed down to future generations of young Australians so that we as a nation may meet and overcome the future security challenges that we face as a nation in uncertain times. Just as the Anzacs were confronted with modern weapons, today we are faced with new security threats and the difficulty in identifying our enemies in the war on terrorism. However, armed with the Anzac spirit, we will be able to overcome whatever those future challenges may be.

At a local level, I pay tribute to the community work of the local Returned Services League branches in my electorate: the Ocean Reef RSL, led by President Rick Green; the Wanneroo-Joondalup RSL, led by President Wendy Tuffin; and the Quinns Rocks RSL led by President Peter Lofdahl. I recognise the valuable contribution which the team of volunteers make in promoting the welfare of veterans and in raising public awareness of the issues facing our service personnel.

The federal government introduced the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program to assist communities in commemorating the centenary with enduring projects. The Moore electorate committee consisted of the freemen of the cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo: Nick Trandos OAM, Margaret Cockman OAM, and Bill Marwick OAM. I wish to thank these longstanding residents for the benefit of their historical knowledge and advice in reviewing the applications and recommending three projects for approval. A memorial arch and monument proposed by the Ocean Reef RSL was constructed in the grounds of the Ocean Reef Sea Sports Club. The memorial contains thoughtful symbolism in its design elements and was designed by sculptors Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith. The Somerly Primary School in Clarkson built an Anzac memorial garden in the school grounds, consisting of raised flowerbeds covered in specially designed tiles, paying tribute to the elements of the Australian Defence Force: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and peacekeeping operations. The Quinns Rocks RSL, which draws its membership base from both the    Moore and Pearce electorates, received shared funding for a traditional obelisk memorial surrounded by a formal garden overlooking the bowling greens at the Quinns Rocks Sports Club.

Local schools across my electorate also held Anzac ceremonies to mark the centenary. I was pleased to attend three school ceremonies on Friday, 24 April. Sacred Heart College held a Dawn Service on Sorrento Beach, directly across the road from the school grounds. Many families attended, and I joined Anna and Grace Murphy—daughters of Ray Murphy, an ex-serviceman—who wore their grandfather's medals, in laying a wreath in the Indian Ocean. I acknowledge Principal Peter Bothe for his leadership in organising the event. Somerly Primary School held a morning service around the newly constructed Anzac memorial garden, and it was pleasing to see so many parents in attendance. I make mention of Principal Tracey Renton, who has been supportive of educating students about Anzac history. In the afternoon, the students and staff at Joseph Banks Secondary College held its memorial service outdoors, with many parents in attendance. I acknowledge Principal Eleanor Hughes, who commenced as foundation principal when the school opened earlier this year and has done a creditable job in establishing school events anew, such as the Anzac service. On Anzac Day the three local RSL branches held dawn services, which attracted record crowds in paying their respects. I was among a crowd of approximately 10,000 residents that attended the Wanneroo-Joondalup RSL service in Central Park, in Joondalup.

My electorate of Moore has a historical connection to Anzac Centenary through the 10th Light Horse Regiment. The regiment was raised in Western Australia in October 1914 and joined the 3rd Light Horse Brigade in Egypt, serving dismounted in Gallipoli. The regiment's most famous actions were the charge at the Nek, on 7 August 1915, and at Hill 60, on 29 August to 30 August, in which Lieutenant VH Throssell was awarded the Victoria Cross. Following the withdrawal from Gallipoli in December 1915, the regiment was reorganised. With the rest of the Australian light horse, they defended Egypt from the Ottoman army advancing on the Suez Canal.

Through 1916, they drove the Turks across the deserts of Sinai, participating in the battles of Romani and Magdhaba. In 1917, they were part of the Desert Column which advanced into Palestine. The regiment participated in the bloody battles to break the Gaza-Beersheba line and helped capture Jerusalem. It participated in the Es Salt Raid in May of 1918. That August, it was one of the regiments re-equipped with swords and rifle boots and retrained to take a more orthodox cavalry role. In their new role, they took part in the rout of the Ottoman army in the Jordan Valley—a campaign the light horse referred to as 'The Great Ride'. In September, the 10th Light Horse was the first formed regiment to enter Damascus. Turkey subsequently surrendered on 30 October 1918.

The regiment first camped in Wanneroo on the east side of Wanneroo Road, south of Ashley Road, but later moved to the site of today's 10th Light Horse Heritage Trail in the Neerabup National Park, leading to the site of the second camp formed during World War II, which accommodated 600 men camped with equipment and their horses. Perhaps the best known local identity to have served at Gallipoli was AB Facey, who spent part of his life working on farms and lime kilns in the Wanneroo district. His autobiography, A Fortunate Life, chronicles his incredible life story.

In concluding, we honour the service of the original Anzacs a century ago, and pay tribute to all Defence Force personnel who have served our nation in world wars and conflicts since then. We owe it to them to never forget their sacrifice and contribution.

Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am proud to report to this House some of the activities which have taken place in the electorate of Indi to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing. In my speech tonight I would like to comment on the activities I was involved in on Anzac Day, report on the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program and conclude with some    general comments on the importance of the values of service, duty and vision.

Anzac Day in north-east Victoria dawned cold and wet. Despite the wet start, the crowds were large in the early morning light at the Wodonga dawn service, at the Anzac morning service in Tangambalanga and then during my visit to the World War I Yackandandah Remembers exhibition at the Yackandandah Museum. I was particularly pleased to be able to join many locals at the gunbarrel breakfast provided by the Wodonga RSL and the Vietnam Veterans. As we huddled around the heaters and watched the TV broadcast from the war memorial in Melbourne, we felt a strong sense of camaraderie. I am told that community participation in Anzac Day services has been growing steadily in the past decade across all of Indi, and it is clear from this that we value and honour the commemoration.

Under the federal government's Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, funding of up to $125,000 was available for each federal member of parliament to support projects in their electorate. I would like to acknowledge the work of the former MP for Indi, Ms Sophie Mirabella, in establishing the initial Indi committee to oversee the processes of community involvement in this program. Under Sophie's guidance a call went out to the various community groups across Indi for projects, and the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program Committee spent much time, energy and commitment considering all these projects. To the committee members, I would like to say thank you for your commitment, your valuable contribution and your insight and knowledge. I would like to name them for Hansard: David Martin, Bruce Bingham, Doug Brockfield, Norm Fearn, Barbara Riedel, Peter Dixon, Kevyn Williams, Doug Williams and Henry Andrews.

It is with pride that I report to the House some of the projects funded under this program: the Alpine Shire Council commissioned and erected a statue to Albert David (Alby) Lowerson, VC winner, in Myrtleford; the Beechworth RSL sub-branch received funds to refurbish the cenotaph in the Beechworth Town Hall gardens; the Beechworth Theatre Company is staging Alan Seymour's play The One Day of the Year, along with an essay and multimedia competition open to schools and the public; the Benalla RSL sub-branch commissioned three bronze panels commemorating the Australian Flying Corps; Bonegilla RSL received funds for the production of a bronze plaque for the Bonegilla community commemorating 28 soldiers who served in World War I and publication of a book, Brave Bonegilla Boys; the Bright RSL sub-branch's My Great War Hero proposal encourages students at Bright P-12 to research local service men and women, to present this information to a community lunch and to mount a bronze plaque in the existing town memorial about the project; the Chiltern Athenaeum is restoring the wheels of a very old German Krupp 77 millimetre field gun at the Chiltern war memorial and replacing the Middle Indigo school honour board; and I would particularly like to acknowledge the work of the Corryong RSL German Krupp 77 millimetre field gun on the gas-powered cauldron installed at Corryong cenotaph to provide an eternal flame.

Special congratulations go to the trio of horse soldiers who lit a lantern from the eternal flame cauldron at the Shrine in Melbourne, then brought the lantern back to Corryong by horse. Three riders—Heidi Walton, Mark Walton and Bridget Waters—completed the 100 Year Ride Back. It was a fantastic effort. I would like to acknowledge the work of the Corryong RSL sub-branch in pulling this project together. Congratulations go to Michael Leonhard, our project manager, and to the Corryong Neighbourhood Centre for providing the leadership and organisation for this wonderful Anzac Day commemorative event.

Congratulations go to the Eskdale Primary School for the planting of a Lone Pine tree and installing a plaque; to the Greta Sporting Complex for installing two flag poles, an honour board and a rock with bronze plaques—well done Greta; to the Jamieson Community Group for restoring the memorial avenue in Jamieson and planting trees—and thank you for your very warm welcome; to the RSL at Kiewa for installing memorial walls at Yackandandah, Kiewa and Sandy Creek; to the Lucyvale Tennis Club for commissioning two display cabinets to house World War I memorabilia, an honour roll, plaques and other work; and to the Mansfield RSL sub-branch for putting together transportable panels displaying local servicemen and women who were involved in Gallipoli and the Western Front. These panels can be moved around to schools, hospitals, community halls and events. I particularly thank them for their warm welcome, and to Sue Gardner, Graham Godber and Geoff Walker, congratulations on your work. Congratulations also go to the Mansfield Historical Society for their fantastic work. I enjoyed so much the three videos that you made. They were about Mansfield's war horses, letters from the frontline and stories of women at war—fantastic work.

Congratulations go to the Rutherglen RSL sub-branch for commissioning a 1.8 metre World War 1 granite soldier to be installed at the Rutherglen Memorial Gardens; to the Wangaratta RSL sub-branch for commissioning a new granite memorial that has been installed next to the cenotaph; to the Whorouly Memorial Park Committee for renovating the Whorouly memorial, conducting a tree planting, putting together a new honour board, and supplying five memorial plaques and a commemorative booklet; and to Wangaratta High School for the research, development and creation of five terrific interpretation boards at the high school—again, it was a fantastic job and so good to see the community and students engaged in that project.

I would also like to acknowledge the four students from Indi who were part of the 80 young Victorians selected to take part in the Anzac Day Gallipoli tour. The students and their teacher chaperones represented Victoria at the 2015 Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli, as well as attending the Australian memorial service at Lone Pine. So, to Maddison, Brad, Oliver and Sarah, and teacher Michelle: well done.

Debate interrupted.