Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the government and, I am sure, the cooperation of the opposition for continuing the debate on this important motion in this chamber rather than the Federation Chamber. I think it is an appropriate mark of respect for such an incredibly important occasion.

As we all know, a little more than 100 years ago thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers were pouring onto the shores of Gallipoli on the morning of 25 April 1915. The landing force on that day was dominated by battalions from the outlying states, including my state of South Australia, which had been joined with the New Zealand battalions to form the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps or ANZAC. Over the course of that single day 16,000 Australian troops went ashore. More than 2,000 of them were killed or wounded before the day ended. And the carnage continued: 1,000 men of the 16th battalion, including my great-grandfather, landed on 25 April. Just eight days later, of the 1,000 men who had landed, fewer than 300 answered the rollcall.

These were not professional soldiers, as we understand that term today; these were everyday Australians who had walked off the farm and out of the factory to answer the government's call to serve their country overseas. Australia then was a nation not yet 15 years old and numbering fewer than five million souls, but over the course of that war more than 400,000 men answered the call to arms, almost half of Australia's men then between the ages of 18 and 44. For eight long months the Anzacs were thrown at machine guns and artillery with horrendous results. In military terms, the campaign was a catastrophic failure. I read that one Australian soldier from Gallipoli described it 'as the absurd sacrifice of young men by old men sitting in stuffed chairs in London'.

By the end of that year the Allies were forced to retreat. Almost 9,000 Australian troops had been killed and 19,000 were wounded. Those who survived, including my great-grandfather, were redeployed to face fresh horrors on the Western Front in Europe. In the face of all that carnage and adversity, the Anzac troops demonstrated qualities that came to define their two young nations. They fought bravely and they revealed a spirit of courage, persistence, mateship and even good humour—a character that the rest of the world associates with Australia today. It is because of that extraordinary spirit shown by those extraordinary men that Gallipoli is regarded as Australia's coming of age, but it was an awful coming of age.

The impact of the First World War on our country is hard to comprehend today. In a nation of fewer than five million people, 60,000 Australians were killed and 170,000 were wounded. Imagine Australia today losing 300,000 of our men in the prime of their life and a million or so returning home wounded. One in three women at the time never partnered. For a generation known as the maiden aunts there simply were not enough men. Many of the families of returned servicemen, including my great-grandfather's family, welcomed home husbands and fathers who were physically and mentally broken, haunted by their experiences in the trenches. They often did not survive for more than a few more years.

This year there was an especially strong effort by the community of Port Adelaide and communities across our nation to recognise and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. The Port Adelaide community embraced the Anzac Centenary by organising a range of events, exhibitions and memorials. Many of them were underpinned by the centenary grants that were initiated by the Gillard government and continued, I am happy to say, by the Abbott government. Seventeen organisations in my electorate of Port Adelaide were successful recipients of an Anzac Centenary local grant. They included RSLs, schools, museums, churches and community organisations. There was an incredibly impressive variety of projects organised to commemorate the Centenary of Anzac. I will give just a few examples.

The Semaphore and Port Adelaide RSL and their President, Glen Murray, previous presidents and committee members delivered a re-enactment of the Gallipoli landing at the Semaphore dawn service. RSL member Daryl Mundy worked with a local filmmaking organisation, Living Stories, to create a moving tribute to those who landed at Gallipoli. The stories were taken from actual letters written by Adelaide servicemen who were there at the landing on 25 April. They were brilliantly narrated by Alberton Primary School students.

I have the honour of emceeing that event every year. The memorial service is across the road from my office. My great-great-uncle Charlie Butler laid the memorial stone in 1924 on behalf of the RSL, so it is a particular privilege for me to be able to emcee that event. Like services across South Australia, and I imagine across the country, the Semaphore and Port Adelaide service this year was the largest ever. Well more than 10,000 local community members attended that service. I talked to people who have been attending for decades and who remember that, 25 or 30 years ago, 20 or 25 people would rock up to a service. That service is now attended by thousands and thousands. It was not just an Australian memorial, I am happy to say. As happened last year, spontaneously New Zealander members of our community at the end of the service performed a haka ceremony that was incredibly well received by the local community.

In addition to the Semaphore and Port Adelaide RSL service, Mount Carmel College students worked with local artist Mandi Glynn-Jones to paint the extraordinary mural that I had the privilege of launching at that college. Whitefriars schoolteacher Amanda Taverna worked tirelessly, along with her husband—she was honest enough to say—to create a wonderful memorial garden for the school community. I know that other RSLs and other service organisations organised commemorative marches. The West Croydon and Kilkenny RSL, with the assistance of the South Australian Museum, unveiled a World War I time capsule that had been put in place in between the two world wars.

Other Anzac Centenary grants projects included the Salisbury RSL unveiling a silhouette of a World War I soldier. There were a number of moving World War I exhibitions and memorials organised by different parts of the Port Adelaide museum district, including the South Australian Maritime Museum, the South Australian Aviation Museum and the National Railway Museum, as well as other organisations like the Naval Association and the Merchant Navy Association, which for understandable reasons are located in the port community of Port Adelaide, St Paul's Anglican Church, St Alban's Anglican Church and local schools, not just Whitefriars and Mount Carmel College that I have already mentioned but also the Alberton Primary School, Largs primary schools and Nazareth primary school.

In addition to memorials and events that were underpinned by the Anzac Centenary local grants program a number of other organisations organised off their own bat other wonderful projects to embrace the Anzac Centenary commemoration. They included St Bede's Church in Semaphore, which organised a service of remembrance and a World War I exhibition, with particular outreach to local primary schools I know. Local artist, and frankly local legend, John Ford, curated the Lest We Forget – 100Years of the ANZACSpirit art exhibition at the Port Community Arts Centre. The Salisbury Council, which was particularly active during this period, and the Salisbury RSL hosted one talk every month about different aspects of the Anzac experience, over the course of an eight-month educational campaign. The Vietnam Veterans Association, a very important part of the Port Adelaide community, also held a commemorative ceremony.

I particularly want to thank members of the Anzac Centenary local grants committee in Port Adelaide, who worked very closely with me, and with my office, to assess each application. Their advice and their knowledge of the local community and the events that we were commemorating were both invaluable. I would particularly like to take this opportunity to thank Sue McKenzie from the Port Adelaide Enfield Council for her contributions and efforts towards the work of this community. Thank you to the many hundreds of people who volunteered their time and worked on the projects that commemorated the centenary of the Anzac landing. Without their ongoing support, many of the projects would not have come to fruition. Lastly, but certainly not least, can I thank all of those thousands of members of the Port Adelaide community who took time, whether it was on the day itself or in the surrounding weeks, to commemorate the extraordinary service and sacrifice of the Anzacs.

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The First World War broke out on 4 August 1914. It coincides with my birthday, as it so happens, but since I came along afterwards I do not think that I will take the blame for it! Thousands of young Australians volunteered and were dispatched to Cairo, awaiting deployment. In April they shipped out to the Gallipoli Peninsula with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France. Winston Churchill, perhaps the most successful wartime leader of the 20th century, was appalled at the losses already accumulating on the Western Front and saw the imperative of opening up supply lines to Russia, keeping her, and consequently the Eastern Front, in the war. The plan was to land the allied task force to assist the British navy to break through the Dardanelles Strait, capture the Turkish capital Constantinople—now Istanbul—and support the Russians and the second front on Germany.

The landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, contrary to popular belief, was comparatively successful—with light casualties when compared with the British and French landings, which were virtual bloodbaths. The initial advances were strong; however, as Turkish reinforcements arrived throughout the day, the Anzacs were forced back and the scene was set for eight months of immovable trench warfare. In fact, on the first day they—that is, the Anzacs—came tantalizingly close to their objective, the third ridge, from where they could have commanded the peninsula. The landing, on the most inhospitable part of the coastline, either by design or accident, had surprised the Turks. Instead, poor communication and poor decision-making led to a decision to dig in on the second ridge. Ataturk was able to congregate his troops, occupy the high ground and force the Anzacs back.

Churchill's plan may have been overly optimistic, but had it been successful maybe the war would have been much shorter, maybe the peace with Germany more honourable. Maybe World War II could have been avoided. Maybe; maybe a lot of things, but we will never know. What we do know is that Churchill reflected in later life that maybe he had been overly obstinate, and his wife said at one stage that she thought he might die of grief at the losses that had eventuated. What is not in doubt though is the bravery and selfless dedication to country and mates displayed by the Anzacs—by the cream of the manhood of a nation only 14 years into its independence. It was when legend was born, where the nation proved to others it was to be relied on to defend democracy and battle oppression throughout the world. It is those traits and ideals that we remember and honour today.

It was right across the Grey electorate, an area about 10 per cent bigger than New South Wales, on Anzac Day—and not only on Anzac Day, but the whole week before and some days after—that the Centenary of Anzac was commemorated. In Port Augusta, two weeks before Anzac Day itself, we saw the passage of the eternal flame, through to the War Memorial in Canberra. It was received there by the mayor, and it was a wonderful thing to be part of that commemoration ceremony as it moved through Port Augusta.

In Ardrossan, the week before Anzac Day, we met for an Anzac march on behalf of the whole of the Yorke Peninsula. Later that day I had the honour of launching a World War I book that had been put together by Professor Don Llongo on Private Sidney King, a boy from Koolywurtie. He was a local lad. The war diaries were supplied by his granddaughter, Sandra Klopp. It was one of the projects that we were able to help out with the Anzac Centenary grants. As I said on the day, the war diaries of Private Sidney King, who had his war experience on the Western Front, were very much the story of an ordinary hero. Many times the history of war is written in the eyes and the words of the prominent participants, but Sidney King was an average footslogger who was out in the trenches, and he told the story of the disaster unfolding around him.

In Whyalla, the day before Anzac Day, I had the opportunity attend the vigil that is mounted by the young service groups there—the Navy cadets, the Army cadets, St John's, CFS volunteers and other groups. It is a wonderful thing to meet those young kids as they stand there for that 24-hour vigil. The dawn service was at Whyalla, and I thank the President of the RSL, Matthew McDonnell, and Warick Songer, for the wonderful service, and there were record crowds. I think this has been echoed right across Australia. In fact, with the Anzac Centenary grants we were also able to help out with the refurbishment of the gates to Memorial Oval in Whyalla.

Then my wife Teresa and I travelled to Port Lincoln, where we caught the 11 o'clock service. The RSL people down there—Garry Johnston and Dave Gaffe—gave a great hand in organising the event, along with the Port Lincoln City Council. It was during this time that, rather sadly, there was a medical evacuation and a helicopter landed on the main oval at Port Lincoln. The sound of the helicopter, for many of those who had experienced the war in Vietnam, would have brought back chilling memories.

From there, interestingly enough, we travelled to Gallipoli Beach, which is about 50 kilometres out of Port Lincoln, near Coffin Bay. Gallipoli Beach was, of course, where the film Gallipoli, with Mel Gibson, was filmed all those years ago. A local group had put together a commemoration ceremony there on the cliffs, and it really was quite moving. In 2011, I had the honour of attending the dawn service at Gallipoli, and the landscape is remarkably similar. Following that, we attended a history presentation at the Wanderah hall, and we were back in Port Lincoln that night for an Anzac ball. So if the legs were not worn out, we did a bit of dancing to go with it.

The next morning, we continued to Gladstone where there was another project that we were able to assist with the Anzac Centenary grants. The community of Gladstone had previously had a World War I commemorative foundation which was vandalised back in the 1960s. It fell into disrepair and was eventually removed. They have rebuilt it and it looks fantastic. Full congratulations to Richard Stott, the driver in that community. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to open it and to see the enthusiasm in the community for the commemoration of Anzac Day.

There was one more event—as I said, it was a very long haul getting through Anzac commemorations. At the Wanderah hall we were able to assist with the Anzac Centenary grant helping to restore the stained-glass windows in the local hall. There was a wonderfully moving service on the Sunday afternoon, which really capped off the rest of Anzac Day for the local member—that is me, and my wife. I must say that I was well aware of other events and was invited to many others, from Ceduna in the west to Coober Pedy in the north and Eudunda and Yorketown in the south. Every one of them had the biggest crowds in at least 40 towns, and more towns than ever are pausing to remember those who have gone before us and given their all for this country. They have gone to the oddest places and the furthest reaches of the world to uphold the rights of citizens and the principles of democracy and to defend the principles that Australia is built on. I thank them for their wonderful efforts. As a nation we say those wonderful words at every Anzac gathering and every gathering of the RSL: Lest we forget.

Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My great-granddad, Henley, and his brother both wanted to go to war—the First World War—but, as with so many other Australian families, one of them had to stay home to look after the family business. So they tossed a coin, and I am only here today because my great-granddad lost the toss. His brother, Bert Henley, went to Gallipoli. Fifteen days after the landing he was shot dead at Gallipoli. He is still at Gallipoli and will always be at Gallipoli. In a terrible twist of fate, Bert Henley's namesake, my grandmother's brother, joined up and went to Singapore with the 8th Division. He was captured and, whilst he survived the war, his health was wrecked and he died some years after the war.

I think the most poignant scene I have ever seen in a movie—and I love my movies—was in Saving Private Ryan. In the first scene the camera is behind the mother. She is standing in the doorway and two men pull up in a black car and walk up the driveway. They hand her a telegram telling her that three of her sons were dead. All that is in a person's body that keeps them upright dissolved out of her body and she crumbled into the floor. I cannot see that scene without thinking of my great-great-grandmother, who would have stood at the door and got the telegram. My great-grandmother also stood in a doorway and got the telegram.

One of my very good friends, Tommy McIvor, a famous roughrider, wrote a beautiful song called 21 Guns. I think it is probably one of the finest songs in recent years, published in Australia. The last stanza of the song goes:

Now the angel of death with his knock at the door.

The crumpled up telegram falls to the floor.

Her reason for livin is livin no more, as she cries for the pride of Australia.

There are a couple of excellent books out on the First World War and I am reading one at the moment. It says that it really answers the question as to why there was a First World War. I am halfway through it, and I cannot agree with the dust jacket. I am still at a bit of a loss as to why we were fighting in the First World War. There is no doubt that the Balkans were falling apart and the great land grabs of the colonial powers were on, and that had a lot to do with it.

One of the many great things about Napoleon Bonaparte was that he destroyed monarchy throughout the world. Monarchy made a sort of comeback, but what was left of it vanished in the maws and the jaws of the cannons of the First World War. I suppose in looking for some logic in the death of my great-grandfather's brother, my great-great uncle, at least we got rid of the dreadful system of monarchy. Either you believe that all people are born equal or you don't. Of course, if you don't then monarchy is a good idea. You want to have a look at the First World War if you think monarchies are a good idea. If you are really looking for a reason for that war then I think the base reason was the ego of the monarchs of Europe at the time.

In trying to find some sanity out of what is, of course, the ultimate insanity, I found the Second World War to be in sharp contrast to the First World War, because it was a war where you were fighting real, genuine evil. I personally could see no alternative than to fight that evil. Once again, in almost all the pictures from my family on all sides—my mother's side and my father's side—every single person was in uniform. There were about 20 or 30 cousins and brothers and sisters—even all the women were in uniform—and you think: all those people were under the threat of dying. Sadly, for my Great-Uncle Bert, it resulted in his death. If there is a sanity to come out this war then it is that we can learn some lessons from what took place there. To simply say, 'We are British and we will do what you tell us, Mother England,' was a dreadful mistake. It cost the lives of something like one in 40 of the entire Australian population. I do not have any doubts with that figure, because amongst the forebears of my own grandchildren there are five people who served at Gallipoli, and I think they should all be very, very proud of that.

In the Second World War, when we were at war with Indonesia, I was in the 49th Battalion. I was the unit historian. I had to write up the history of our battalion. We were one of three battalions that were sent up to stop the Japanese. I went to see the major, and I said: 'Look, Major, I have difficulty here. Every single reference to us in the Second World War is that we fell back, we failed to hold ground, we retreated, we were ill prepared, we were untrained. Every single comment is negative.' He said, 'Well, what are you going to do, Katter?' I said: 'I'm not prepared to write that down about my own battalion. I am going to try and cast around and see if I can find some positives.' I went down to the RSL and I said to an old digger there, 'Mate, do you know anyone in the 49th Battalion in the Second World War?' He said: 'No, I don't. But I'll tell you one thing about them. They were the ones that copped it worst. When they were on leave to Sanananda, after fighting their way across the Owen Stanleys'—the Kokoda Track as most of us know it—'only 28 out of 1,000 men were able to walk out unassisted from their trenches.' To this very day, I can feel the rage rise in me. For those of you who have played football or for those of you who have been in the army, you have a particular relationship with your platoon or your battalion. They were men just like me. In fact, my father and my Uncle Billy served in the 49th and 9th. Billy was in the 9th when it went to Milne Bay and imposed upon the Japanese the first defeat in 800 years of land warfare. As Australians, we can be enormously proud.

Let me just return to Kokoda. This is the situation: General Mackay goes into the cabinet room and says, 'If they take Port Moresby there is no way of stopping the invasion of Australia.' They were 10 days march from Port Moresby. We sent up three battalions that were completely ill trained and one Bren gun. In military terms, if there is no machine gun, you do not have a section. If you do not have any machine guns, you do not have a platoon or a battalion. So, technically, we did not exist. There was one Bren gun for the 9th Battalion when it went up there. So we are going to stop the Japanese with one Bren gun, were we? That was rather interesting. Here is the greatest military force the world had ever seen—800 years undefeated in land warfare. They had beaten the Chinese. They had beaten the Americans, outnumbered two to one. They had beaten the British, outnumbered three to one. And they were coming to take Australia.

Let there be absolutely no doubt about that. In my book, I was able to research it and say very definitively that they were on their way to Australia. I titled my book An Incredible Race of People. What an incredible race of people! Three battalions had been sent up with one machine gun to stop the Japanese. We did. We not only stopped them but turned them back, and they never moved forward again. So today we pay tribute to those great men. I am very proud to say and sad to say that some of my forebears were amongst them. None of those descendants are with us today. They died.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On April 25, 1915 the young nation of Australia—a nation that had federated only 15 years earlier—sent soldiers onto a distant shore in the nation that we now know as Turkey. The plan was a simple one: Australian and New Zealand troops were to cross the narrow peninsula and knock out the forts guarding the waters leading to Constantinople and the Black Sea. As we all know, despite the spirited efforts of the ANZACs, things did not work out quite as planned. By this time 100 years ago, thoughts of a quick and decisive victory had faded and troops from both sides were digging in for a long campaign. Ultimately, the campaign would not achieve its objectives and, after eight months, Allied soldiers would slip out under cover of darkness.

All of this begs the question: why do we celebrate this campaign? What is it that makes the people of this nation, a people who have enjoyed 100 years of almost uninterrupted peace at home, crawl out of their beds in the pre-dawn gloom on 25 April each year and pause, as the sun comes up, to remember those soldiers and all of those who have since served? For a nation still finding its way in the world, the servicemen who fought at Gallipoli planted the seeds of our national identity, and those seeds bore incredible fruit. A young nation was looking for its own identity and, like any adolescent, we needed role models. As the stories of bravery, ingenuity, self-sacrifice and mateship filtered back, we realised that we could find our role models, define our identity and establish our self-worth as a nation by looking to the way these men had conducted themselves under incredibly trying conditions and drawing our strength and defining our values from them.

As I have already mentioned, Australia is a peaceful nation. When we fight, we meet the enemy in distant lands a long way from the families, friends and homes our soldiers are sent out to protect. Given that so many of our young people have never had to meet a foe on a battlefield, I wanted to use my time here today to single out some of the values that were forged on that cold peninsula a century ago and show how, in my electorate, those values are alive and well.

The Prime Minister told the people of Australia that the Commonwealth would, if the next of kin request it, repatriate the remains of 25 Australian servicemen killed in the Vietnam War and buried in Malaysia and Singapore. That speech was the result of countless hours of organising and lobbying by the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia and their Northern Territory president, Bob Shewring, who was one of the key people involved. Over past few years, Bob has written to me, met with me, called me and briefed me on how the campaign that he called 'Bring Them Home' was going. He has been in direct contact with the Prime Minister and the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. I have no idea how many hours Bob has put into researching and lobbying but I know why he did it—because Bob, as a former serviceman, treasures those values that the Anzacs left to us. Bob and his colleagues in the Vietnam Veterans Association know that it is not right to ask someone to put their life on the line for their country, for someone to sacrifice everything, without the nation honouring that sacrifice. Bob would not leave his mates behind. Thanks to the efforts of Bob and his colleagues, those who made the ultimate sacrifice can now rest in peace in Australian soil. Australia owes Bob a debt of thanks.

Just before Anzac Day, I spent some time in Afghanistan. It was a privilege to be able to be there with our troops, and I got to see firsthand how they were going to commemorate this Anzac centenary in that theatre. Some of them were quite excited and very honoured to have the opportunity to commemorate the centenary in the theatre of war. Honouring those who served is not a tradition reserved to servicemen or ex-servicemen. In my electorate of Solomon, I had the honour of attending a series of events put on by schoolchildren across Darwin and Palmerston. On Friday the 24th, the last school day before Anzac Day, I attended a special school assembly at Palmerston Christian School. Led by the school captains, the Palmerston Christian team put on a heartfelt memorial assembly. Handmade floral tributes were laid, an Army chaplain addressed the students and there was a stirring rendition of We are Australian which, I much confess, brought a lump to my throat and a lump to the throats of many in the audience. The principal, teachers and students of Palmerston Christian School have much to be proud of.

Just down the road at Palmerston Senior College, the students hosted a combined assembly, with several surrounding primary schools also attending. A moving ceremony was held, complete with a combined service honour guard of local cadet units. Wreaths and books were presented in memory of the fallen, and a spectacular sculpture to commemorate Indigenous servicemen was unveiled on the school grounds. Participation was the cornerstone of the day's events, with younger students submitting artwork in a series of Anzac themed displays and competitions, and the school library playing host to an exhibit of Australian military history. I was also fortunate enough to attend the commemoration at Larrakeyah Primary School, where a sincere service was held. Students came together for a period of reflection, laid handmade tributes to the fallen and paid their respects.

Later in the evening, students from schools across Palmerston gathered at the town's cenotaph shortly after dark for the youth vigil. The youth vigil was organised by the Palmerston RSL and it gave students from around Palmerston a chance for some quiet reflection as they mounted an honour guard around the memorial from dusk till dawn.   The students worked in shifts, symbolically guarding the memorial through the night leading up to the Anzac Day dawn service.

There were a number of    fantastic initiatives throughout the electorate of Solomon in memory of those who served. As the federal representative of this fantastic area, I was privileged to assist some of these through the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, and the youth vigil was one of those. The Darwin RSL club put forward two awesome programs which are worthy of mention. The Borella Ride was the flagship event of the Northern Territory's commemoration of the Centenary of Anzac. The ride commemorated the journey made by Albert Borella, who walked, rode a horse and hitchhiked on a mail coach to get from Tennant Creek to Darwin and then travelled by ship to Townsville to enlist in World War I. The story of Borella is a fantastic one, and the re-enactment of his journey is a once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity. But, because the story unfolds along one of the most remote highways in the world, the Stuart Highway, there would not be many people who could benefit from it if not for the work of the Darwin RSL. The Darwin RSL put together a documentary crew to film the ride and use it as the basis of a documentary that could be shared with the world. Because of their work, people around the globe can share in this most amazing of Territory stories and share the Anzac spirit.

Another measure put forward by the RSL, which I felt was particularly important, was correction to the roll of remembrance at the Darwin Cenotaph. It should go without saying that any nation prepared to put people in harm's way owes those people a duty of care after the last shots have been fired—to the survivors, the best of care and the benefits of the peace and prosperity they have defended. To those who fell, the least we can do is remember them—know their names and their stories and acknowledge their sacrifice. It is with this duty in mind that a team of voluntary researchers from the Darwin RSL—and I need to once again single out my friend Bob Shewring in that team—went through the rolls and found there were some errors and omissions on the lists of the fallen at the Darwin Cenotaph. Their tireless research meant that new brass plaques were able to be cast to commemorate those who fell and whose names were not recorded or were recorded incorrectly.

It was at that same Cenotaph that I attended the Dawn Service. I was honoured to read a message from the Prime Minister and lay a wreath on behalf of the Australian government and its people. The ceremony was solemn and very well attended. My husband, Paul, chose to attend the Palmerston service on my behalf and reported that that was also very well attended. It was a great honour to see the community rally together to mark this occasion and, in doing so, to demonstrate the tenacity, loyalty and mateship that the original Anzacs were so highly renowned for.

Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A few weeks ago I made a constituency statement in which I spoke about the many moving events I attended in the Fremantle electorate for the Centenary of Anzac and the Gallipoli landings. I would like today to speak about an extraordinary book that I launched in the week before Anzac Day at the WA Army Museum in Fremantle.

But first some context. Like many Australians, my family had direct experience in the Great War, with my grandfather and great-uncles among the WA Anzacs who left from Fremantle wharf and who, very fortunately, returned alive, although they died before I was born, so I did not know them. My great-uncle Gordon Parke served as a stretcher-bearer alongside Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli. When he got home he named his orchard at Donnybrook Lone Pine in memory of his fallen colleagues, but otherwise, according to my family, he never said a word about his wartime experiences, and nor did my grandfather and so many others who experienced the war.

So it is only through historical accounts gleaned from letters, diaries, oral histories, stories passed down through families and photos such as those revealed in Andrew Pittaway's Fremantle Voices of the Great War that we can find out about the trials and tribulations these people faced during and after this most bloody of wars. In reading Andrew's book one discovers afresh in the soldiers' own words both the horrendous reality of this particular war and the national pride that drove our battered soldiers to keep on fighting, in the words of 11th Battalion Private Percy Cook, 'for King and Country and wife and child and everybody'. From the lively and raucous streets at the heart of young Fremantle to the ghastly trenches of Gallipoli, Palestine and the Western Front, to the army hospitals and prisoner of war camps, and to the return home, Andrew's book brings to life the incredible experiences of the Fremantle people who served our nation during World War I.

Just from the footnotes detailing the occupations of each of those mentioned throughout, I found myself imagining the wartime streets of Fremantle emptied of every kind of worker. I thought of the people left behind to hold the fort, a task which would never have ended for the many widows, parents, friends and children who suffered the losses and those whose loved ones returned home but were never the same afterwards. Given the loss of around one-third of its working age men at a formative time in its history, it is astonishing that Freo emerged from this period and went on to thrive. Of the 3,000-plus people who left Fremantle's shores—labourers, nurses, bar managers, blacksmiths, accountants, lumpers, grocers, market gardeners, pearlers, firemen, stockmen, journalists, timber workers, musicians, artists, students, clerks, marine engineers, locomotive drivers, a federal MP and just about every other type of worker you can imagine—we know that at least 853 were killed. We know that the permanent physical, emotional and mental damage done to survivors rendered many incapable of ever returning to a steady life course.

The simple words of 33rd Battalion Private John Luff penned in his final letter to his wife, Ruby, from the battlefield in Messines aptly sum up the reality:

It is a jolly hard life and no one knows—only us poor chaps that are here …

Now, 100 years on, Andrew Pittaway's clear and precise accounts of key events contextualise the sometimes chilling and sometimes achingly mundane and good-humoured letters and diary entries of many Fremantle servicemen like John Luff who may not have returned home but at last tell us their stories within these pages.

What continually strikes you while reading the book is the sheer arbitrariness of life or death, injury or disease—the sheer chance, fate or luck, good or bad, that determined whether people died or ultimately returned home. Imagine thinking yourself lucky after having suffered at the Somme like 32nd Battalion Sergeant Walter Flindell:

1 was hit on the face with shrapnel, and a few minutes after got hit on the hip, with a piece from a high explosive shell. I was very lucky as there were men all around me being killed, and others receiving terrible wounds … it seemed impossible to live through the machine gun fire and shrapnel and those who got back have to thank providence.

In the face of the horror, the ongoing thread of comradeship and humour was a lifeline for these men. Sergeant Ted Mofflin of the 11th Battalion describes the charge up the hills after the Gallipoli landing:

I was shouting and trying to keep my little section together, and about half way up the first hill I prodded Major Brockman in the seat with my bayonet, he turned around and started to go off at me. I said "Alright lad, don't get excited" and went off and left him. He must have got a shock as he was always wanting to be saluted and sirred.

Gunner Hector McLarty describes the gallantry of his 8th Battery, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade comrades:

This is how the men in this Battery die: When the smoke from the bursting shell had cleared away, Wallis ran up to see the damage. He found Mick Taylor crawling about on the ground covered in blood, and dazed. Bill said, "Are you hit Mick" "No Bill" he said, "I am only scratched, look after Doug and Stan." (We found subsequently that he was wounded in 14 places). Bill then picked Doug Lennard up. The poor lad had one arm off, one leg shattered at the thigh and internal wounds. He said, "I'm done Bill, look after Mick and Stan. Don't mind me." Stan Carter had a fearful wound in his side. He said "I'm sorry I'm moaning. I know it will upset Mick and Doug but I can't help it I can't help it." He died poor lad almost immediately. His last words were "Did they get the gun?"

In the midst of all the death, perhaps the most human of acts can be seen in soldiers pooling their funds to establish and take care of their friends' graves, or the Turks allowing the 11th Battalion to retire from a failed attack at Gaba Tepe without firing a shot at them. What is more, when the Red Cross went to help the wounded, they found all the wounded had been bandaged and the dead buried already by the Turks.

This book, Fremantle Voices of the Great War, is very aptly named as we see and hear about the war through the eyes and ears of the Fremantle people who lived it. Naturally, Fremantle is frequently mentioned in the letters and diaries of the men. Private Marcus Anderson of the 11th Battalion told of arriving in the north of France and marching through a town when he heard someone calling his name from a window above. It was Mort Allen, the son of Reverend Tom Allen, one-time minister at the Fremantle Wesley Church. Marcus notes:

I knew Mort very well. He was a pupil at Fremantle Boys School. I never saw Mort again. Another valuable life sacrificed on the bloody altars of Mars.

Gunner George 'Chitter' Brown describes how when they first arrived in France they were unlucky to be spotted by the Germans, who promptly sent over some shells:

I lost my best pal, Sergeant Henry Robinson from Fremantle. He was captain of the North Fremantle juniors and extremely popular with all who met him … he leaves a wife and child at North Fremantle.

It is worth noting that there were so many members of the North Fremantle Football Club who were killed or seriously injured in World War I that the club was ruled ineligible to remain in the West Australian Football League after the war, with collateral benefits to the other Fremantle clubs, South Fremantle and East Fremantle, who picked up North Fremantle's best remaining players. Baden Pratt has written a wonderful book called Hell for Leather: the Forgotten Footballers of North Fremantle.

In Fremantle Voices of the Great War we read the diary notes of the son of CY O'Connor, Fremantle engineer, Corporal Roderick O'Connor, who was killed in action in France in 1917, 15 years after his father's tragic suicide. We also learn about one of my predecessors as the federal member for Fremantle, Reg Burchell, who not only enlisted in World War I but returned from the Western Front with a Military Cross for his bravery.

Through the chapters of Fremantle Voices of the Great War we garner a Fremantle-specific knowledge of the events and effects of the so-called Great War, and through this we can have a richer understanding of the human fabric that has made our beloved port city and our country what it is today. We see the way young Australians were spurred on to join a great effort, a great adventure, before having ground into them the gruesome waste and cruelties of the four-year campaign. We learn that for all the casualties on our side, the Turks, who were after all defending their homeland against invasion, suffered many more. And we come to see the common humanity of friend and foe alike. This reminds us that the most critical human condition is peace.

Now, with a century passed since the start of those dark years, Fremantle Voices of the Great War is a fitting testament to the service and memory of Fremantle's people. I hope that the personal histories revealed in this book and the centennial commemorations of Anzac Day inspire us always to continue working for the peaceful resolution of conflict. In the words of 10th Light Horse Regiment's Sergeant Herbert Ulrich:

I was in the thick of it often but, thank God, I came safely through. I saw many splendid young fellows pass out. It was heartbreaking, war is terrible! Pray God it may soon be over.

I extend my thanks and congratulations to Andrew Pittaway for his caring and skilful work in bringing these Fremantle voices to life.

Finally, I would like to mention that on Sunday 31 May I attended, along with around 200 other people, the South African memorial in Kings Park to commemorate the 113th anniversary of the signing of the Vereeniging Peace Accords marking the end of the Boer War. The keynote address was given by Brigadier Phil White, a military historian and Honorary Colonel of the 10th Light Horse Regiment. His theme was 'The Fathers of ANZAC,' specifically chosen in this Anzac centenary year to raise awareness of the fact that around 30 per cent of the 1st AIF were Boer War veterans and that they made a significant contribution to our national effort in the Great War.

There were an impressive number of floral tributes laid at the service, including a wreath dedicated to the horses and transportation animals sent from Australia for service in South Africa. It was thought that this could be an Australian first. The wreath was laid by Phil Sullivan of the 10th Light Horse Display Troop, along with his war-horse Gee-Jay, who remained at the left shoulder of Phil as he laid the wreath—as someone quipped, 'No doubt resisting the perfectly natural equine urge to eat the flowers tantalizingly within reach!' Gee-Jay had the traditional reversed boots in the stirrup to remind us that all six of our Victoria Crosses awarded in the Boer War involved horses.

I want to thank my constituent Kevin 'Kiwi' Bovill for his tireless work on the Boer War memorial event and in helping the veterans of many wars who may not have received the recognition and entitlements their service has merited.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak on the Prime Minister's motion on the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli.

One hundred years ago our nation swore an oath that we would remember them. Today we can stand proud as a nation to say that we have, and that we continue to remember them. On 25 April our community came together to honour the service and sacrifice of our Anzacs, and it was heartening to see the increasing number of people—particularly our younger generations—who attended dawn services and Anzac Day marches.

We came together to honour the heroism, bravery and resilience of the young Australian and ANZAC men who were sent to Gallipoli to fight alongside other forces. We lost some 8½ thousand men and more than 19,000 others were wounded.

During this year's Anzac Day service, the president of the Beenleigh RSL, David Draper, shared the story of two local families. Sharing these stories reminds us of the men who had been thinking about home, their families and their children 100 years ago.

Lieutenant Kidd, whose name lies on the Beenleigh honour roll, was one of six brothers. All six went off to war but only two returned. The family came from the Ormeau area, but the boys enlisted in different parts of the country. There was also the Stewart family, who sent three sons off to war—none came home. While their names have remained on the honour roll for many years it was only after some research by the Beenleigh RSL that we found out they were brothers.

More than 20 men from Beenleigh and the surrounding community went to war and never came home. Their names and memories remain, and so too does the cause that they represent today. Today, Anzac Day is not only about remembering the sacrifice of those men who died at Gallipoli. It represents a day of remembrance and reflection for all the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in ensuing wars. The 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli was a special day to remember the service personnel and civilians from Australia and other nations who paid the supreme sacrifice so that we can live in peace. The Anzac spirit has not only been remembered but has become entrenched in our everyday lives; mateship, camaraderie, courage and sacrifice are elements of the Anzac spirit I see in the community every day.

On April 25, I saw these traits in our veterans, service personnel, families, community groups, students and residents who took part in the Anzac Day march. I also see these traits in the men, women and children in our community on a daily basis. I see the mateship at our local men's shed groups, where members come from all walks of life unite to share their struggles and do something meaningful with their time and for others. I see the camaraderie when we visit local sporting clubs with teammates supporting each other and sharing the highs and lows. I see the courage of our local SES, rural firefighters, police and emergency service workers who face tremendous challenges each and every day. From the tragic house fire in Beenleigh on May 14 to evacuating residents in the 2011 flood and helping people in times of crisis, our emergency service men and women show courage in the face of tragedy. I see the courage in our local business community, who risk it all in the hope of following their dreams. I see the courage in our student leaders, who proudly represent their school and their peers and give a voice to the next generation as they share their hopes for the future. I see the sacrifice in our volunteers, who give up their time to selflessly offer support to others. From Meals on Wheels to the Salvation Army and Lighthouse Care, for various reasons we see people performing great deeds every day and expecting nothing in return.

The Anzac Centenary was not only about remembering; it was a reflection on what happened and what a wonderful and lucky nation we live in. It is a reflection on the people who live here and the continuing Anzac spirit that makes us who we are as Australians. It also highlighted how important it is for our country to continue its commitment to peace in other parts of the world. As a nation, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone, regardless of race or creed, is entitled to live in peace without fear. Our entrenched spirit of mateship, camaraderie, courage and sacrifice mean our nation will always answer the call to others in need. We will always step up and provide help to those who need it most.

Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Anzac Centenary Local Grants committee. My sincere thanks go to David Draper, President of the Beenleigh and District RSL Sub Branch; Ken Golden OAM, President of the North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch; and Matt O'Hanlon, Principal of Beenleigh State High School. The committee recommended great local projects in Forde and I would like to thank the community for nominating such worthy projects. These projects include: Rivermount College, who will be performing an arena spectacular honouring the spirit of the Anzac; Beenleigh and District RSL Sub Branch, who organised a re-enactment of the Dungaree march with local school students—hundreds of students marched proudly along the route on Anzac Day this year and, in particular, I would like to thank Mr Phil Butterghee for his indefatigable work to put that together; North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch was able to purchase much-needed equipment for their sub-branch; Canterbury College will be building a World War I memorial garden in their school grounds; and the Rotary Club of Coomera Valley was successful in gaining a grant to undertake restoration work for the Upper Coomera Cenotaph. This World War I memorial attracts thousands of attendees every Anzac Day, and I am pleased to see that this memorial restoration will ensure future generations will be able to pay their respects. I would again like to thank all of the members of the community involved. My thanks to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs for his support in this wonderful project.

In closing, I wish to thank the members of the Beenleigh and District RSL Sub Branch, the Greenbank RSL, the North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch, the Pimpama and Ormeau war memorial committee and the Rotary Club of Coomera Valley for the effort that went into organising their various Anzac Day services. The dignity and respect that they demonstrated at those services, in honour of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in their service for this country, was tremendous. Also, the wonderful support from all of those in the local community who came along to show their respect and acknowledge that supreme sacrifice. Lest we forget.

Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 25 April, we commemorated the 100th anniversary since the Gallipoli landings. I was honoured to mark this occasion at the dawn service at Moseley Square in Glenelg and I joined thousands of others who came out to remember those who have given their lives in service during conflicts and peacekeeping operations. I am sure all members will join me in saying that there was that spine-tingling feeling when the bugler played the last post or the odewas spoken. It is one that most people know well.

This year was even more special because it commemorated the centenary of the landings of the Australian and New Zealand troops in Gallipoli—a watershed moment in our nation's history. Charles Bean, Australia's official historian of the First World War, long held the view that the consciousness of Australian nationhood was born on 25 April 1915, and many share this common view.

As the Prime Minister stated, in his address to the many that made the pilgrimage this year to Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, for the 100 year commemoration: 'In volunteering to serve, they became more than soldiers; they became the founding heroes of our modern nation.' Today, Australians are in awe of the efforts of those first Anzacs, and we are rightly proud of their achievements, as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs stated in his address at the Australian Memorial Service at Lone Pine, when he called them 'ordinary men, achieving extraordinary deeds'.

At the dawn services I attended at Glenelg and Henley, the young and old gathered to remember and pay their respects. I want to congratulate all the RSLs in Hindmarsh for their efforts in organising the very special and moving Anzac Day ceremonies: Plympton Glenelg; Henley and Grange; and Hilton. I also want to thank the numerous community groups who supported the services, such as the Bendigo Bank team, who cooked the breakfast enjoyed by my family and many others after the Henley service. On this centenary, there were record numbers at all the dawn services in Hindmarsh. Many groups in the community—and schools such as William Light and the Nazareth Catholic Secondary College—also paid their respects at special ceremonies.

To give another example, the Messinian Association of South Australia held a commemorative event to recognise the Australia-Greek alliance in the Great War, and the Australian soldiers of Hellenic origins who fought as Anzacs. The Australian Hellenic community is a significant community in my electorate, and I was privileged to attend the event on April 26.

I also attended the Lemnos Association of South Australia's Anzac Day memorial service and luncheon. The landing at Gallipoli was launched from the island of Lemnos, which was also the place where many of the wounded were taken and where many Anzacs are buried. Lemnos was the location of the major nursing stations for the Gallipoli campaign and is the location of two major Commonwealth war graves. Both services honoured the critical roles and strong links forged by Greece and its people and Australia—and Lemnos—during the Gallipoli campaign and was celebrated in true Greek fashion, with family, friends, food, music and dance. It was clear that Anzac Day is a day for all Australians, regardless of religion, race or even place of birth.

I was also one of thousands who braved the cold and rain and attended the Camp Gallipoli commemorations, held in Morphettville, following a youth vigil organised by the Henley and Grange RSL. The Centenary of Anzac captured the interest and imagination of communities right across Australia. Groups across Hindmarsh participated in the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, funding new memorials and honour boards to demonstrate that we truly do remember them.

The government's Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program provided up to $125,000 per federal electorate to support community based commemoration. Across 150 electorates, almost 1,800 individual projects sought funding. The Messinian Association of SA were successful in their application, and it was great to make the announcement at their commemorative event.

Moseley Square in Glenelg is home to a new and impressive memorial—thanks to the efforts of the Plympton Glenelg RSL, the City of Holdfast Bay and funding from the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program. It was a momentous occasion to see the numerous wreaths laid in front of the memorial which stands in front of the Glenelg Jetty. I congratulate Will Smith and his team at the Plympton Glenelg RSL for the great work they did in making this memorial a reality.

RSL SA also received funding to assist in the development of the 'RSL virtual war memorial', an outstanding interactive website which allows members of the community to search for, or contribute information about, family members who served. It tells their story, and each and every day recognises the Australians who fell on this day in history.

I acknowledge my own Centenary of Anzac committee, chaired by Mr Peter Summers OAM. The committee did an outstanding job in deliberating over the many applications, and I commend all involved for their time, effort and input—especially Peter for his commitment and diligence.

In closing, I would also like to acknowledge the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator the Hon. Michael Ronaldson, and his staff and department, for their efforts and assistance. As we commemorate the events of World War I and the centenary of Gallipoli, we reflect on the terrible cost of war. We pay respect to the 60,000 Australians who fought in the Gallipoli campaign; the nearly 9,000 who died; the 20,000 who were wounded; and the thousands more who carried the unseen scars for the rest of their lives.

Anzac Day is not about mourning a defeat or honouring success. It is about remembering the original Anzacs and the legacy of all who have followed in this path. We honour all who have served, and continue to serve, our nation, and their families. We honour all of those who have given their lives in the service of our nation over the past 100 years.

We have not forgotten and we will not forget.

Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to rise and speak on behalf of Corangamite residents on the Prime Minister's motion on the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli.

The Centenary of Anzac is the most significant period of commemoration in our nation's history. The 25th of April 2015 marked 100 years since that first fateful landing at Gallipoli. It was a very special time but a very challenging time for every Australian, young and old.

I have been incredibly proud to have represented the people of Corangamite at this incredibly important time in our nation's history, principally through the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program. I want to join my parliamentary colleagues in commending the work of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Michael Ronaldson, for the way this program has been delivered to all electorates and to all people right around Australia.

As we know, the government is committed to ensuring the Centenary of Anzac is community focused; it helps locals commemorate, remember and pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of Australians who have served their nation. This resonated everywhere I went, as we made many announcements under the Anzac Centenary Local Grants program. It was a great joy, I have to say, to join with so many communities across Corangamite to celebrate the work of local RSLs, local schools and local organisations, in their various activities to commemorate our national service and sacrifice at this very significant time.

I think for many people at this time this is also very personal. So many families around the nation were directly impacted by those who went before them in the service and sacrifice they gave on behalf of our nation. For my family, it was also personal. Private Raymond Sullivan was a member of the 7th Australian Infantry Battalion. He was particularly special of course because he was a great great uncle of mine. He was actually one of 750 Australians to die on the day of that fateful landing at Anzac Cove. It is a very sad story. He, like so many others, arrived on the beaches and within a matter of hours this young 24-year-old butcher from Brunswick lay on the fields, shot in both legs and within 24 hours he was dead due to blood loss or exposure. It destroyed his family.

For many months, Raymond's parents did not know whether he was dead or alive. In 1916 the Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau of the Australian Red Cross took evidence about Raymond's death and reported that a witness said he believed he was about the last man to see Sullivan on the day of the Anzac landing. He was lying on the ground. He thought he was pretty well even though he was shot in both legs and the witness gave him some cigarettes and drink from his water bottle and then heard nothing further. As we know, he was one of hundreds of men who died on that day. In World War I, from an Australian population of just under five million, 417,000 enlisted, 332,000 served overseas, 152,000 were wounded and more than 61,000 never came home.

These stories have affected so many families. It was with a great deal of joy that I joined with so many communities in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Anzac. I would like to reflect on some of the local grants. The Bannockburn Primary School was awarded just over $3,000 for a beautiful remembrance garden. I am a big supporter of Bannockburn Primary School and their move to a new bigger school. They did an amazing job.

The Belmont Fire Brigade received just over $3,000 also to support a memorial commemorating the service and sacrifice of brigade members during World War I. On Sunday 19 April I officially opened the First World War Memorial Gates in Ceres, which had been restored with a $10,000-grant. That was one that really had been championed by the local community and was a fantastic project. The Belmont Primary School, another fabulous primary school in my electorate, received a grant to renew a memorial garden. The Colac RSL Sub-Branch received a grant to support the Cressy community with a new flagpole and some other restoration work at the Colac RSL Sub-Branch in Cressy.

In Torquay we had some fabulous announcements. In January, in fact, the Prime Minister announced funding for a new memorial plaque at Point Danger to honour residents who served in the First World War. That was certainly a wonderful day. Point Danger is an incredible part of Corangamite where this year some 15,000 or more people gathered for one of the largest Anzac Day services in Victoria. It is very reminiscent of the beaches of Gallipoli looking over the cliffs to the east as the sun rises. We were also incredibly proud to support the Torquay RSL, which does such an incredible job with that service, through a grant for a memorial garden.

There was another fantastic project that was supporting the Military Historical Society Geelong. And the Geelong military re-enactment group did an amazing job at their Gallipoli Before and Beyond event, which received a $15,000 Centenary of Anzac local grant. There were many more grants as communities from right across the very large electorate of Corangamite, some 7,500 square kilometres, did so much to work together to commemorate this very significant day.

The Lorne RSL and Historical Society unveiled a fabulous project. They celebrated and honoured 32 soldiers who enlisted from the Lorne area. They too have a memorial garden and they have done an incredible job to honour those who served from the Lorne area. The Surf Coast Shire is supporting a memorial walk along the Barwon River where we are actually upgrading the Princess Highway—a fantastic project that the federal government is working very hard on. It is a new walk of honour commemorating 64 Australians who received the Victoria Cross during the First World War, including Albert Jacka. Albert Jacka was a famous local resident. He was a great Australian and received a Victoria Cross for his heroic acts in Gallipoli in 1915. Some say that Albert Jacka was such an incredible soldier that he could have been honoured three times over.

The Golden Plains Shire received a grant for a wonderful project that they are doing, a local publication. There is a Teesdale photographic restoration project, a publication—the Meredith Soldier's Historyand also the restoration of the Teesdale War Memorial. We supported the Borough of Queenscliffe with its fabulous Anzac Day service and also the Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads RSLs with a number of grants to support both their activities in terms of reaching out to local school children through an education program and also an upgrade of the cenotaph in Barwon Heads.

I want to finally thank the great work of the Corangamite electorate committee—Graham Rawlins, Councillor Bob Merriman and Keith Hankin—who did an incredible job. It has been a great honour to join with the Corangamite community to commemorate this very important time in our nation's history. Lest we forget.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak today on the importance of the Anzac Centenary and to recognise some of the people from my electorate who made this year's commemoration such a successful community event. One cannot underestimate the impact of World War I on the psyche of a new Australian nation. A nation of only 4.9 million people, a nation not even 15 years old, had 417,000 men volunteer for the Australian Imperial Force and sent 323,000 overseas. More than 61,000 were killed in action—more than one per cent of Australia's population at that time—and more than 150,000 were wounded.

Gallipoli was the beginning of that terrible sacrifice. Around 50,000 to 60,000 Australians served on Gallipoli. There were more than 19,000 casualties and 8,709 deaths recorded. They were amongst the first to die in World War I but not the last. While almost all Australians have heard of Gallipoli, it is important not to forget the sacrifices at Passchendaele, Fromelles, Pozieres, Polygon Wood and the deserts of Palestine and Sinai. What is important now is how we honour the sacrifice of those who served during World War I. I think we have done them justice.

On Anzac Day this year, hundreds of thousands of people attended dawn services across the country. More than 10,000 people attended the dawn service at the site in Turkey where Anzac forces landed on 25 April 1915. Another 7½ thousand people attended the dawn service at Lone Pine, and more than 6,000 attended the service at Villers-Bretonneux. Thousands more attended services in London, Belgium, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Vietnam and throughout New Zealand.

I would like to add my thanks for the graciousness of the Turkish government and the people of Turkey. Some might think our relationship with Turkey to be passing strange—enemies during the Great War but now good friends. But I think it says something extraordinary about the character of the Turkish people that they welcome so many Australians to the place where our troops landed and fought their grandfathers and great-grandfathers 100 years ago.

It would not have been possible to have hundreds of ceremonies around the country and around the world without thousands of volunteers to make it happen. They have been doing the tasks that go into honouring our fallen in communities across the country and, more specifically, in my electorate of Cowper. With this in mind, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of volunteers of ex-services and RSL organisations in my electorate to commemorating the Centenary of Anzac.

The Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program has been very successful and has allowed communities large and small to recognise the importance of the Anzac legend. In the Cowper community we had a very committed group who assessed the applications for local projects. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of committee members, who included David Doyle OAM, Bob Payne, Bon Denner, James McLeod, Brian Mortimer, Alex Robinson, Paul Huggins, Allan Crouch, Jim Cameron and Robyn Rooth. The committee did a fantastic job of approving many projects, and I would like to place on record my strong support for the work of the committee and my thanks for the work that they did.

In Coffs Harbour, the hard work of the RSL sub-branch ensured that the local community had the opportunity to participate in Anzac Day events in addition to the traditional services on 25 April. They organised a display of Anzac and other World War I material which recognised the involvement of many soldiers from the Coffs Harbour area. The branch also hosted a family fun day and featured an audiovisual display of World War I, where people had the opportunity to learn more about the Anzac legend.

The Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery also restored a First World War honour roll and built a display for World War I medals which is now housed in the museum. Dr Leigh Summers and Terrie Beckhouse were instrumental in this project.

The hard work that these volunteers put in was most commendable in honouring our fallen. The ceremonies around the electorate of Cowper saw unprecedented numbers of people turn out on Anzac Day. I joined many thousands of people who attended the dawn service at the Coffs Harbour Cenotaph. The march later that morning was one of the largest in recent history. I congratulate all schools and community groups who participated in these events. Services were also held at Woolgoolga, Bellingen, Repton, Glenreagh, Urunga and Sawtell.

Kerry Bayliss and Dallas Burrage, from the RSL sub-branch in Sawtell, organised a display of military items that reinforced the Sawtell community's links with World War I.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Barb Piggott, Dick Nicholson and Tubby Bathgate in helping the Urunga RSL branch to get a new cabinet to display war memorabilia.

The RSL sub-branches in the Nambucca Valley, including the sub-branches of Nambucca Heads, Macksville and Bowraville, united to organise a special service at Bowraville on Anzac Day. Bowraville was the centre of local government at the time of World War I, and the local war memorial was located there. With the assistance of a federal government grant, the Bowraville War Memorial was restored and a book entitled The Story of Anzac was republished and distributed throughout the community. I acknowledge the contribution of John Kent, Graeme Allen, Jim Cameron, Bob Harriss, Roger Jones, Wendy Litchfield and Barry McDonald, from the sub-branches of the Nambucca Valley.

And I should not forget the small communities of Stuarts Point, Eungai Creek and Taylors Arm, who also hosted services on Anzac Day. As part of the centenary commemoration, Taylors Arm upgraded their marble honour roll through the efforts of Stuart Johnson and Raelene Ward. These small communities, like so many other small villages around the country from which many of our servicemen were drawn, have, importantly, commemorated the deeds of our Anzacs.

Anzac Day is always well supported in the Bellingen shire, and this year was extra special. The Bellingen RSL sub-branch created an excellent mobile display of World War I memorabilia and war equipment, which was showcased to schools and the community. The great work of Brian and Kathy Mortimer with the assistance of Rick Maunder ensured that the Anzac Centenary was appropriately recognised.

The Dorrigo community re-enacted the First World War recruitment march, while further south, in the Macleay Valley, services were held in Kempsey, Frederickton, South West Rocks, Hat Head, Gladstone, Bellbrook and Willawarrin. I would like to recognise the extraordinary effort of all those involved in making the services a success in local communities throughout our region.

Of particular note is the contribution of the volunteers from the South West Rocks RSL Sub-Branch and their president, Alex Robinson, who organised the construction of an impressive Remembrance Wall to commemorate the centenary. The wall is the centrepiece of a memorial path that remembers the fallen from conflicts that Australia has been involved in from the Boer War to Afghanistan. The wall features a large plaque of a World War I soldier, and the intention is to use the wall to commemorate the centenaries of future conflicts. I commend to the House the efforts of that particular sub-branch. I recommend that if you are ever travelling through South West Rocks and the Macleay Valley you should pay a visit to the wall and pay your respects.

The Maclean RSL Sub Branch organised a dawn service and then a march down the main street prior to their service. Steve Davis and Geoff Lenz from the Ulmarra RSL branch helped their community acknowledge their World War I servicemen and organised the restoration of their local cenotaph. In Wooli, Bruce Bird and the Wooli Lions Club also refurbished the local cenotaph as part of the centenary commemoration.

The Gallipoli conflict and World War I has become part of the Australian psyche. Coming shortly after Federation, the Gallipoli campaign and more generally World War I have become a defining part of our national identity. This would not have happened without the personal commitment and sacrifice of Australians who volunteered at that time. The toll of the landings at Gallipoli and in the trenches of France and Belgium was huge in comparison to Australia's population at the time. Virtually every community large and small from around the country was touched by loss. It is a very important part of our history.

Anzac Day was appropriately commemorated through the hard work and great efforts of our local ex-service community. I commend them for their commitment—not only for their service at the time in our armed services, but also in their later service in ensuring that the deeds of their comrades and the memories of their comrades remain to this day and ensuring that the commemoration of Anzacs continue in the hearts and minds of the young people who will be the adults of the future.