Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) on Remembrance Day on 11 November 2018, we commemorated the Centenary of the First World War Armistice;

(b) from a population of less than five million, more than 400,000 Australians enlisted to serve, and of these, more than 150,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner and more than 60,000 made the ultimate sacrifice giving their lives for their country; and

(c) this was an enormous toll for a young nation like Australia with nearly every family and community across the country having experienced a loss of some kind; and

(2) acknowledges:

(a) the service and sacrifice of Australia's current and former serving men and women;

(b) the unwavering commitment of the families who support our veterans on the home front; and

(c) and thanks all current and former defence personnel for their service.

As we know, World War I broke out in late July 1914 and out of a population of around 4.5 million some 416,000 Australians enlisted for service. That was around 10 per cent of the population and it was one of the largest contributions to the imperial war effort. Of those 416,000, more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner. As we saw, afterwards war memorials were built, from large cenotaphs in some town squares to memorial flagpoles in schools, community halls and parks all around Australia. I look at the beautiful, evocative Harvey War Memorial, and even at the beautiful Nannup War Memorial.

As the war progressed, the names of battles which we now recognise as household names were spoken about in hushed tones and great men like Sir John Monash rose to prominence. There were names such as Gallipoli, Ypres, Bullecourt, Villers-Bretonneux, Beersheba, Passchendaele and Polygon Wood. I was able to lay a wreath at Ypres several years ago on behalf of Australia at the time. I saw those thousands and thousands of crosses at Ypres. I also saw the Menin Gate, with its over 55,000 names. I met one of the oldest Menin Gate buglers and I thanked him for the fact that they played our last post over 30,000 times voluntarily in the years since. He said to me: 'You listen to me. What we know in this country is that at the time the Germans were rolling across this nation it was like genocide. What we know in this nation is that all we are and all we have is because of your Australians' blood on our soil.' That was a very profound experience for me.

With the final assault on the Hindenburg Line late in 1918 the German government sought a truce, and that came into effect at 11 am on 11 November 1918 and the guns fell silent. This year, in 2018, we have celebrated the centenary of that momentous event—the ending of the first truly global war and the end to a war that devoured the lives and spirit of 16 million soldiers on both sides. It took almost an entire generation of men from the earth. Allied countries took decades to fully recover from the loss. Governments fell, societies changed forever and the seeds of the next world war were sown.

But we remembered on 11 November 2018. We remembered the sacrifice of those who served and died for what they believed in. In the centuries since Armistice almost two million men and women have served with pride in our armed forces. I want to thank and acknowledge the work of Brendan Nelson, the director of the War Memorial, who has done an outstanding job in ensuring the War Memorial plays an appropriately central role in commemorations and all of those who made the over 60,000 poppies we saw on the lawns of the War Memorial, which made a breathtaking reminder of the sacrifice made in World War I. I want to pass on to the Speaker my congratulations for the parliamentary program of commemorative events and the poppy displays in the building and the forecourt.

But it is also important to remember that there is an axial link between the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House that was purposely incorporated in the architecture. When certain doors are open there is a direct line of sight from the Prime Minister's office to the War Memorial and specifically a line between the cabinet room and the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. It is a deliberate reminder to those in government that in decisions involving the use of armed forces they should never forget those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

In the words of John McCrae's famous poem, 'We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie, in Flanders fields.' We must never ever forget the sacrifice of those who served our nation in uniform and we must recommit ourselves to supporting them into the future. I want to acknowledge the work of all of our RSLs and those who conducted commemorative services on 11 November this year in acknowledging the Armistice centenary.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I would like to begin by commending and thanking the member for Forrest for this motion, because, as she said, this year, 2018, marks the centenary of the end of the First World War, which we commemorated right throughout the nation in small towns, in country towns, at Norfolk Island and here in our nation's capital on 11 November. So thank you to the member for Forrest.

To help local communities commemorate this important date in our history, in the world's history and in Australia's history, the Department of Veterans' Affairs offered the Armistice Centenary Grants Program for each electorate. In my electorate we had five successful applicants, one of which was the Minders of Tuggeranong Homestead, or MOTH. MOTH secured funds to develop The Soldier Settlers of Tuggeranong, a photographic exhibition, and I was honoured to formally open that exhibition at the Lanyon Homestead in October. The exhibition told the stories of eight men who returned from the war and took up soldier settlers blocks at Tuggeranong on land that had formerly been owned by the Cunningham family.

The eight men who received land were Jack Cregan, George McInnes, Eric McMurtrie, Gerald O'Hanlon, Alec Powell, Nathaniel Smith, Darcy Thompson and Robert Dyson. We were honoured to be joined by the families of Darcy Thompson and Nathaniel Smith at the opening. This remarkable exhibition revealed their struggles with debt, with drought, with the rabbit plague and with uncertain markets, all while living with the legacy of their war service. I want to commend MOTH and in particular the chair, Jenny Horsfield, for bringing these stories to life, and I encourage anyone who is around Canberra to go and visit that exhibition at the Lanyon Homestead.

On Remembrance Day, I had the great honour of representing the Speaker at the national ceremony and attended the beautiful service held by the French embassy. In the evening, I attended the Jewish commemoration service at the Jewish Centre here in Forrest. Despite its size, the Canberra Jewish community is strong and vibrant and makes a significant contribution to Canberra, and I hope it continues to flourish in the future. Despite its size, the Australian Jewish community has also made a significant contribution to Australia's defence with its participation in many conflicts since the Boer War. There was a strong but solid Australian Jewish presence in the Boer War, including Major Walter 'Karri' Davis, who endured two years as a prisoner of war; Myer Blashki; Louis Electorate Phillips; Alfred Saunders, who was the son of Melbourne Rabbi Reverend Moses Saunders; and two sons of Ballarat's Rabbi Reverend Israel Member Goldreich.

Jewish women also volunteered to tend the sick and the wounded, including Sister Rose Shappere, who was the only Australian nurse who went through the entire Siege of Ladysmith. Her experiences of organising neutral hospitals to tend to both English and Boer fighters, her train being shelled by the Boers and nursing in a camp filled with 12,000 sick and wounded people led to her being mentioned many times in despatches and to her receiving the Royal Red Cross honour along with another medal from the king.

In the First World War, it is estimated 2,304 Jewish males enlisted in the AIF, which was about 13 per cent of the Australian Jewish community at the time. Of these enlisted men, 300 made the ultimate sacrifice and more than 100 earned military honours or were mentioned in despatches.

Australian Jewish personnel were also conspicuous during the Second World War when 4,000 enlisted in the various services. It is estimated that 200 died in action, 40 were decorated for gallantry and 30 more were mentioned in despatches. Sister Rae Reuben was the youngest to enlist in the AIF at the age of 24. Although there were so many Jewish nurses who served with distinction, I want to highlight her. She worked in Egypt before being transferred to Marseille in France and was moved up to just behind the firing line on the Somme, where she fell victim to a gas attack. It affected her health for the rest of her life and she died at 45.

In the gardens of the Australian War Memorial, a sea of handmade red poppies pay tribute to Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War. More than 330,000 Australians served overseas in the four years of the war and 62,000 died. On Remembrance Day we pause to commemorate 100 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front, 100 years since the Armistice was signed, ending the First World War—the war that was supposed to end all wars but didn't. We paused on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to reflect and to remember those who died or suffered for Australia's cause in all world wars and armed conflicts. We remember the bravery, honour and sacrifice of all those who served and those who followed. Lest we forget.

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

I want to thank the member for Forrest for bringing this motion to the House. As we stand here today and reflect on Remembrance Day 2018, we mark 100 years since the end of World War I. I have no doubt it was a special day not only for our veterans but for everyone in the Australian community. I was so pleased to see the record number of people, particularly young people, at the Remembrance Day service in Beenleigh. Every year, the Beenleigh and Greenbank RSLs go the extra mile to support our local community, to ensure that we not only celebrate but, more importantly, remember those who fought for the freedoms that we enjoy today. I want to thank all those who took part in Remembrance Day ceremonies across the electorate of Forde, and who wore a red poppy and who paused for a minute's silence to remember those who lost their lives for our freedom.

It's interesting to reflect that during World War I, Australia, with a population of less than five million people, saw more than 400,000 soldiers enlist to serve. Of those, more than 150,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner, and, tragically, more than 60,000 paid the ultimate sacrifice and did not return from war. This was an enormous toll for a young nation like Australia, with nearly every family and community across the country having experienced a loss of some kind.

Remembrance Day holds a special place in the hearts of Australians. As we go around our towns and our communities across this country, we can have a look at our war memorials and cenotaphs and see listed there the names of those who did not come back. Many of those names are still familiar or known in our local communities, whether it's at the war memorial in Beenleigh, in Ormeau, in Cedar Creek or in Upper Coomera. Many of those names still have family members alive today and contributing to our communities. Equally, all those names are recognised in many places in our communities, whether it's streets or parks or other community places. This is what I think is important; that we have made an effort to remember those who paid that ultimate sacrifice.

It's important that we do not forget the lessons of history. As the member for Canberra has just outlined, it was the war to end all wars. Yet we well know that that was not the case. It's important that we show a mark of respect to our soldiers, sailors and airmen who have contributed so much. The Remembrance Day ceremonies held across the country this year had record numbers of people attend. It shows the importance that we as a community place in that.

But, in all of this, it's important to remember that we're remembering people, real people. They were brothers, sisters, husbands, fathers. Right across this country, families and communities were affected. As we stand here in this place, I think it's fair to say that it's difficult to understand what those families and communities went through at that time, which is why we should always be eternally grateful for the sacrifices that they gave to defend this country and others. We see each year the reverence with which the French commemorate Remembrance Day, and also Anzac Day, in recognition of the service that Australian soldiers gave in their community. I'd like to again thank those who are serving today in various theatres around the world. They continue to demonstrate the qualities so ably given to this country by the Anzacs. Lest we forget.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Forrest for bringing forward this motion. As most would be aware, at 11 am on 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare and more than four years of carnage. The Allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. The first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of a staggering 70 million people and left between nine million and 13 million people dead—perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. For Australia, the cost of this commitment was astronomical. From a population at that time of less than five million, more than 400,000 Australians enlisted to serve and, of these, more than 150,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner, and more than 60,000 made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives for their country. As noted in this motion, there wasn't a family in the country who wasn't personally affected by the war.

Many of our service men and women were and still are first-generation Australians, having emigrated from the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Americas. Others, like myself, have fathers and grandfathers who served with the armed forces. Indeed, my great-grandfather, Thomas Wood, a Scot from Glasgow, served with the British Army in the First World War before emigrating to Australia. Like the Australian nurse that the member for Canberra just mentioned, my great-grandfather, Thomas Wood, survived the Battle of the Somme but was gassed—an injury that probably saved his life, but ruined his health. Upon migrating to Australia, he took off up bush. He was a bit shell-shocked from the First World War, but he found that up in the bush the air was a lot cleaner and more gentle on his lungs. Like many of those who were gassed, he was probably getting around with about a quarter of his lung capacity. He also couldn't handle the noise of the big city, though, and being around people. Like most veterans of his generation, he suffered in silence.

The end of the Great War—the First World War—left Australia with an issue as difficult as the conflict itself: taking care of the survivors, the war widows and their children. It's noteworthy to remember that this generation who were devastated by World War I then had to endure the Great Depression. When the war broke out, Australia was in recession and unemployment continued to grow, peaking at 11 per cent in March 1915. We owe a great debt to those of that generation that persevered through those difficult years as they continued to build our great nation.

Through the federal government's armistice grants, several marvellous projects were funded to commemorate this very significant centenary. In my electorate, I was very happy that I was able to provide armistice grants to the Darwin Chorale, who put on a brilliant show at the Darwin Entertainment Centre that had the audience in tears—tears of laughter and tears of sadness—recalling the stories of young Territorians that went off to fight. Another marvellous production was put on by the Darwin City Brass Band, who performed 'In Their Honour' at the Christ Church Cathedral. Darwin High School are also continuing their tradition of remembrance and are using the armistice grant for an honour board that will honour those who went from Darwin High School to the First World War. Finally, the Darwin Military Museum is using its grant to establish a centenary of Armistice monument at East Point.

One hundred years after the First World War, we paused on the 11th of the 11th to remember those who sacrificed so much in that war and also those that have been lost or damaged serving in conflicts since then. In my electorate of Solomon, in Darwin and Palmerston, services were held at the Darwin Cenotaph, at North Darwin, at the Palmerston Memorial and at Adelaide River. We also had the NT Pipe Band simultaneously playing with other bands around Australia at 3.30 pm that day at the Palmerston Memorial. Well done to them all on this significant anniversary.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also thank the member for Forrest for this important motion, and for giving us the opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our Australian service men and women. This year marks 100 years since the Armistice, which ended the First World War. I was proud to see so many of my constituents wearing their red poppies proudly and paying their respects at local memorial services. I was glad to be able to attend many events in Bonner that marked the Armistice centenary. A highlight for me was visiting Lota State School and seeing their red-poppy garden. Principal Susan Hughes told me that it was a labour of love by their Environmental Club. I was struck by the garden's sheer beauty. It's a moving tribute to our diggers that will keep their memory alive for the next generation.

Another Bonner school that has done a wonderful job in keeping the Anzac spirit alive for our kids is Citipointe Christian College. It was an honour to attend their centenary memorial ceremony and hear from students, teachers and community members about how the Great War touched their families' lives.

It was also a great honour for me to officially open Citipointe's new memorial to mark the centenary of the First World War Armistice. Last year, the federal government invited community groups to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to support local projects commemorating the end of the First World War. I was pleased to help Citipointe secure $18,182 through the Armistice Centenary Grants Program for their new centenary memorial. The centenary memorial is modelled on the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux. The area will be used for community commemoration events and the school's annual Anzac Day assembly. It will include an amphitheatre that looks towards the cross of sacrifice. It looks absolutely stunning at the moment, and I can't wait to see it completed.

I was also pleased to secure a $9,091 Armistice centenary grant for Queensland Rifle Association. The grant went towards the installation of a new Armistice centenary memorial gate at Belmont Shooting Complex. I was very happy to attend their Remembrance Day service and the official opening of the memorial gate. It's a beautiful memorial that commemorates the more than 500 riflemen of the QRA who perished in the First World War. It also recognises the men and women of the many shooting disciplines in the Belmont Shooting Complex who have served in defence of the nation since 1946, including in peacekeeping.

I also helped the P&F Association of Guardian Angels Catholic Primary School secure a $5,000 Armistice centenary grant. The grant is for a small memorial in an area designed for reflection and commemoration of our fallen Anzacs. It's another great project that teaches young students about the sacrifice of our soldiers and allows them to express their gratitude for our current freedoms.

I thank local residents, families and groups in Bonner who marked a minute's silence at 11 am on Remembrance Day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. I thank the local schools and organisations who have erected new lasting memorials to honour the over 60,000 Australians who never made it home after the Great War. Lest we forget.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a privilege to speak to this motion put forward by the member for Forrest and join with my colleagues on both sides of the House to mark this year's Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day this year saw thousands of people across the country, including in the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury, mark 100 years since the signing of the Armistice. RSL sub-branches, community organisations, schools and aged-care homes held ceremonies to honour those who have served.

At Windsor Memorial Park Gates in McQuade Park I joined hundreds of people to mark the occasion, at 11 o'clock on 11 November, as similar ceremonies occurred in Richmond, Kurrajong, Glenbrook, Springwood, Katoomba, Blackheath, Mount Victoria, Wentworth Falls and other towns across my electorate of Macquarie.

Our aged-care facilities also paused to honour the moment when, on the Western Front, the guns of the Great War fell silent. At North Richmond's Ron Middleton VC aged-care facility, residents and staff, helped by local high school and primary school students, remembered those who were wounded in all conflicts and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. At the time of the signing of the Armistice, more than 60,000 Australians had lost their lives, including 45,000 who died on the Western Front in France and Belgium and more than 8,000 who died at Gallipoli. We can only imagine the relief that the troops and families would have felt as word of the Armistice filtered out and they heard that the war had finally ended—indeed, the relief that entire nations across the earth would have felt.

Both of my grandfathers served on the Western Front in World War I. Private Leslie Robert Templeman embarked from Sydney in October 1916 as reinforcement for the 19th Infantry Battalion. He arrived in France in March 1917 and was wounded in action six months later with a gunshot wound to his head and leg. After medical treatment and recovery in England, he was allocated to reinforcements for the 3rd Battalion, but the war ended before he could return to France. My mother's father, Private Herbert Raymond Axtens, left Sydney with reinforcements for the 12th Light Horse Regiment in October 1915, joining the regiment in February 1916 in Heliopolis. He was transferred to the 8th Brigade Machine Gun Company a few months later. He arrived in France in June 1916, but fell ill with influenza. He rejoined the Machine Gun Company at the beginning of November 1916 and remained with his unit until the end of the war, seeing many conflicts and battles. My grandfathers' stories of survival—and the stories they didn't share with their families of the ordeal, both physical and mental—were typical of those experienced by hundreds of thousands of young Australian men. Over the course of the four years of World War I, more than 416,000 Australians volunteered for service, with 330,000 leaving their families behind to serve overseas.

In marking the 100 years of the end of the war, I was privileged to oversee the awarding of several grants under the Armistice Centenary Grants Program. From a sandstone memorial in Lone Pine Peace Park in Leura, erected by the Rotary Club of Central Blue Mountains and Katoomba RSL, to a project by the Blue Mountains Woodturners in Glenbrook and one in Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park, the efforts were many and varied. A standout was the new work commissioned by the Phoenix Choir that had a magnificent premiere to mark Armistice Day. Composer and conductor Rowen Fox's new work—'All This is Ended'—is based on a poem by World War I poet Rupert Brooke and had its first performance at St Finbar's church in Glenbrook followed by a Remembrance Day performance in Lithgow. The work, with complex layers, was performed by the Phoenix Choir, which has a wide mix of people: some who haven't sung since high-school days and others who have made music their career. Music has such power to move and reach people, and I was privileged to be asked to read a dedication at their premiere.

Another project marking the centenary is by Woodford Academy—part of the National Trust. The academy operated as a school from 1907 to 1925, and the project tells the story of each of the 57 ex-Woodford Academy students who had enlisted to serve in World War I. Each of these projects, and others that have received grants, are part of the history of World War I, particularly as it affected people in my electorate. As we mark the end of the centenary of the war, we remember the service of so many, then and now. Lest we forget.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 11 November, we commemorated 100 years since the conclusion of the First World War—a conflict which, in its inestimable cruelty, claimed the lives of some 40 million civilians and military personnel around the world. Australia at the time was a very young and small country of only five million. We sent 416,809 men to fight. Of those, 60,000 did not return and 156,000 returned wounded or gassed; however, it is safe to say that no man or woman who served during that time came home without bearing some wound, physical or mental.

The First World War was the first industrial war conducted on a mass scale involving innumerable machines and millions of men. The human suffering was on a similarly huge scale. At its conclusion, the First World War was popularly named 'the Great War' and 'the war to end all wars'. The cruel irony of history was that its scale and suffering gave way to a more murderous and inhumane conflict barely a generation later. But the legacy of the First World War runs deep, both physically and mentally. To this day, the landscape of northern France and Belgium is pockmarked by barrages of artillery that turned hundreds of miles of landscape into wasteland. For Australia, the First World War was our trial by fire. Many of the values our nation lives by today trace their birth to places like Gallipoli, Passchendaele, Pozieres and Beersheba. Courage, mateship, teamwork, larrikinism, endurance and a healthy disregard for authority are all essential parts of our identity which grew from the horrid brutality of the First World War.

One hundred years on, the sacrifice of our diggers is not forgotten. Over the last few weeks, I was fortunate enough to visit a great many local commemoration services, including the main commemoration at Memorial Park in Meadowbank. At this peaceful memorial overlooking the Parramatta River, local school students came together with community leaders to hold a wonderful ceremony. Bernie Cox again led the service, which was capped off with the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the event and was funded by the federal government's Armistice Centenary Grants Program. We were very fortunate to receive a number of these grants which enabled our community to commemorate the centenary. The Ryde District Historical Society received $5,000 to create a register of local memorials; Karonga School received funds for a living memorial, which will be accessible to students with special needs there; and both Epping Boys High School and Eastwood Heights Public School received over $10,000 to create memorial gardens.

Our electorate of Bennelong sent a great many of its sons to far-off lands during the First World War, and it's worthwhile that we consider their immeasurable sacrifice and courage. Between 1914 and 1918, over 2,000 men volunteered from the area that is now covered by Bennelong. At the time, there were only a mere 3,500 dwellings in this area. This level of volunteering is almost unprecedented across the country. Remarkably, these volunteers came in a steady stream throughout the war, barely dipping after the threat from Gallipoli or during the defeat and stagnation of the Western Front in 1916. This patriotism and bravery is incredible and worthy of the huge turnouts seen across Bennelong last month. During this time, it's important we all stop and give thanks to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our safety, freedom, and prosperity. We stand on the courage and labour of generations past who valued the future of their country more highly than themselves. They set an admirable example that we would do well not to forget. Lest we forget.

Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1914, Australia was a population of fewer than five million people. When the Great War erupted, 416,809 men and women enlisted—a significant number from a very young Australia. Over 60,000 of these men and women never returned home. They paid the ultimate price. 156,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner, which was an enormous toll on the nation. Nearly every family and community across our country experienced a loss.

To mark 100 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front, I joined several community groups in my electorate of Paterson to commemorate these men and women. At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, I stood with hundreds of people from the Port Stephens community as we gathered in Nelson Bay for a service that was hosted by the Nelson Bay RSL Sub-Branch. It was a beautiful, sunny morning as we stood with the sea breeze licking our faces. I couldn't help but think of what had taken place 100 years earlier and how those who had fallen would be proud of the nation, largely, that we have become. I also attended the East Maitland War Memorial Centre for the unveiling of two plaques commemorating the end of the First World War. These plaques were unveiled by Mia Fullerton, the daughter of William Bevan, a World War I veteran and a teacher from East Maitland Public School; and Norm Burton. Norm's uncle was killed, and his body was laid to rest in France.

The Beresfield chapter of the Maitland RSL Sub-Branch hosted a service to dedicate a lone pine tree to the fallen soldiers from the Beresfield community. At that service, I met the groundsmen from the Newcastle Memorial Park, who told me how grateful and pleased they were to be able to plant a tree that had been dedicated to many people who they had as ancestors. I also met the dedicated men and women from the Australian Armed Forces Re-enactment Heritage Unit. And what a fine unit they are! They have been flat chat in recent weeks, attending many services and adding an element of gravitas to those ceremonies. They did a truly remarkable bayonet drill on the day and they really looked absolutely the part.

To mark this Centenary of Armistice, Pelaw Main Public School placed an additional servicemen's plaque at the entrance to their school after they discovered that 13 names had been missed in the original roll of honour that was put on their memorial gates. I was grateful to attend that and to officially unveil the additional plaque with many of the descendants of those World War I veterans.

In the lead-up to the 100-year anniversary, I helped a number of community groups from my electorate secure a grant through the Centenary of Armistice grants program. This was for a wide range of activities and projects that commemorate the end of World War I. The Raymond Terrace and District Historical Society used the grant to publish a book entitled Remembering for Peace: The Adventures of Emma and Ryan. It was written by Heather Sharp and illustrated by Laura Arnull. This children's book is going to be used as an educational resource to help primary-school children learn about World War I. It was a fantastic day at the launch of that book, as many young children were there. I knew that their parents, grandparents and other caregivers will read that book to them and they will learn much more in a far more in-depth way over the years to come.

The Raymond Terrace RSL Sub Branch replaced the old wooden flagpole in the main street and dedicated it to World War II veteran Bill Bobbins OAM. For 15 years, Bill raised and lowered the Australian flag in the main street of Raymond Terrace, and now a plaque stands in the corner to honour this incredible effort. I can only think of doing that every day for 15 years. I think he missed very few; he got people to substitute for him on very few occasions. But he was there at morning and dusk every day for 15 years. Thank you, Bill, for that! We remember you for that and we remember your family, who attended.

At every event I attended throughout my electorate, I was proud to see so many people from all generations proudly donning the medals of their ancestors. I would like to thank my community for that.

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

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for a later hour this day.