Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Remembrance Day—the 11th of the 11th—commemorates the day in 1918 when the guns fell silent on the Western Front. Obviously on that day there was rejoicing worldwide. Following that time, memorials were built Australia-wide. In my electorate of Reid the first one in Queen Elizabeth Park was opened in 1921. A couple of weeks ago in that very park we rededicated that very memorial.

Remembrance Day this year marked the end of the Centenary of Anzac commemorations over the last four years. All local federal members received program grants that we could invest in what we saw fit in the local community. This memorial was a classic example of what we could do with that money. This memorial had over time fallen into disrepair. I argue that it was the most spectacular memorial in my electorate. The local grants board decided to invest the money we had available to bringing this memorial back to its former glory. Why? The theory is that it will be there for the next 100 years and the local community can keep meeting, gathering, coming together and commemorating the great sacrifices of not just World War I but every theatre of war since that time in which there have been armed Australian service men and women.

I would like to thank Bob Turner and President Len from the Concord RSL sub-branch, and Concord Hospital, which was a repat hospital that treated World War I Western Front soldiers recovering from gas afflictions. Even though that hospital was handed back to the state government in 1992, the tie to that hospital has remained very strong. Alice Kang and her amazing team were there on the day to make sure that it all went off without a hitch. Also on the day Rosebank College provided the band and the choir for the hymns that we were singing. Principal Tom Galea always does an amazing job with that school.

We sat down and decided that we would redo this memorial because not only will it be there for the next 100 years but it will be somewhere families can come and reflect at different times. With great pride, on that day there was a truckload of families. There were parents with their young kids. We commemorate this legend. It will live on. May we well do that into the future. Lest we forget.

John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.