Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like many across our country and in this House, on Saturday I had the opportunity to attend multiple Remembrance Day events in my community. These were on Saturday and also in the week leading up to it. It is an important day: an important time for us to stop, pause and reflect on those who have gone before us, the service they gave our country and the sacrifice they gave for our country and for the freedoms we're so lucky to enjoy today. And it's not just those who serve but their families and their loved ones also, and the impact on the community. It was a pleasure and an honour to join the Lilydale community at the Lilydale RSL memorial event, paying tribute to those soldiers. I also had the opportunity on Friday to visit Lilydale Primary School for their Remembrance Day service. It was a touching tribute to our fallen soldiers, so thank you to Lilydale RSL for their service and also for supporting the primary school.

I spent Wednesday afternoon with Richo, the former RSL president, selling poppies in one of our stores. I am proud to be a member of the RSL—my grandfather served in World War II. What is amazing when you spend time with any veteran—Richo is a Vietnam veteran—is the respect that people have when they come to buy poppies. A number of people said, 'I've already got one but I'll grab another one,' because they knew they were supporting the RSL, an important cause. But it was also the admiration they had for Richo, and saying thank you to him for his service. I was honoured to spend some time with him and in our community, selling those poppies.

I had the opportunity on Thursday night to do the 'Dining In Night' at the Dandenong Ranges-Sassafras RSL with my wife. It was a great night. I learned a lot about the dining services and the different ways that the Army, Navy and Air Force do that. Again, it was a great tribute to our veterans and it was wonderful to see so many veterans there, commemorating and spending time with their loved ones. It was an honour to attend that and I want to thank Bob Richards, the RSL president at Dandenong Ranges-Sassafras for inviting me and for hosting a wonderful evening.

In my community of Casey we're blessed to have many towns and communities that run their own events. Obviously, with Remembrance Day ceremonies being at the same time, at 11 am, I couldn't attend them all. But I want to thank all those who laid wreaths on my behalf. I also thank all the RSLs and community groups which organised those services: Yarra Glen RSL, Mount Evelyn RSL, Seville Township Group, Wandin Rotary, Upper Yarra RSL, Healsville RSL, Monbulk RSL, Warburton RSL, Upwey-Belgrave RSL, Dandenong Ranges-Sassafras RSL, Millgrove Residents Action Group and the Montrose Township Group. Thank you for the work that you do in our community in organising those important services, and thank you again to those volunteers who laid wreaths on my behalf.

I want to touch quickly on the Montrose community and the Montrose Township Group, who have worked very hard, with the support of Max Lamb, the former president of the Montrose Men's Shed, to get their war memorial back up to a standard where it's a fitting tribute to our community and our veterans. Unfortunately for the Montrose community, last Saturday morning they woke up to find their memorial had been vandalised—destroyed by those who seek to stir hatred and division within our community. I am not going to give any due to what was written or said, because that's what those who did it would want me to do—they would want me to amplify their message. So I'm not going to repeat the message, but I will say to them: you did not sow hate and division in our community. You created the opposite effect. The Montrose community came together. Rob Earney, the butcher, noticed the vandalism early in the morning. He called the Yarra Ranges Council emergency line. The Yarra Ranges Council, to their credit, came out. The community rallied to clear that graffiti off the memorial to make sure that the Remembrance Day service at 11 am could go ahead. That is the best of our community.

At this time, when tensions are high for many people and when many people are pained, we need to stop, take a deep breath and pause, and remember that we are all humans. We hold our positions passionately, but we must do it respectfully and focus on what brings us together, not on what divides us.