Australasian Soldiers Dardanelles Cenotaph

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:55): My question is to the Premier in his capacity as Minister for Veterans' Affairs. Can the Premier advise the house of the history of the Australasian Soldiers Dardanelles Cenotaph in Lundie Gardens, its connection with the Wattle Day League and the War Widows Guild, and any plans—apart from the sale of the beautiful centenary badge—to commemorate the anniversary of its unveiling on 7 September 1915?

The Hon. S.K. Knoll: Did you want to answer that yourself?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:56): I thank the member for Florey for her question. I feel she has a few other questions up her sleeve which will be directed, of course, to the Minister for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Nevertheless, I do want to acknowledge in this house the wonderful interest that the member for Florey has in veterans' affairs.

When we were elected into government on 17 March and I became the Premier of South Australia, which is an enormous privilege and pleasure, one of the great perks that comes with being the Premier of South Australia is that you get to choose your own portfolio, and I was delighted to be able to select myself, if you like, to be the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. I did that because, as the Premier, you get to meet some people who have done extraordinary things and volunteered and worked in hospitals and contributed to society in many ways. But there are people in our community who pull on a uniform and put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms in this country. For that reason, I decided that I would take on this portfolio. It is a very important portfolio to me.

I absolutely love having the opportunity to commemorate this service and to work with some of the very specific issues that veterans who have completed their active service have when moving back into mainstream life post service. I really appreciate the opportunity to serve in this way.

The question from the member for Florey is really to do with the Australasian Soldiers Dardanelles Cenotaph, which is an extraordinary commemoration, and I would like to update the house on some of its significance. It was originally the brainchild of a patriotic Adelaide builder, Walter Torode, and was sponsored by the Wattle Day League. Not everybody knows about the Wattle Day League. I know the member for Florey knows about the—

Ms Bedford: Might know about it.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: She might know about the Wattle Day League. She knows about lots of things that are important to the people of South Australia. Really, the Wattle Day League was formed by women who had lost husbands and sons at Gallipoli.

The cenotaph was built to remember those who had been killed at Gallipoli. It was unveiled on 7 September 1915 by none other than the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, just 135 days after the landings at Gallipoli and while Australian troops were still fighting on the peninsula. Originally, it was erected in a grove of 100 wattles near what is now known as Sir Lewis Cohen Drive.

The cenotaph was originally an obelisk, where mothers and relatives of the men killed during the landings and subsequent fighting could come and place their floral tributes. It was designed to represent the cliffs Australian soldiers had climbed at Gallipoli. A cross was later added, symbolising an empty tomb, as many felt it was unlikely that they would ever have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to overseas war graves. The cenotaph is believed to be the very first memorial erected honouring the fallen of World War I.

The War Widows Guild, which I suppose follows on from the Wattle Day League, continues to operate now. It represents women who have lost husbands, partners and loved ones throughout a century of conflict involving Australian service personnel. The guild was formed in 1945 and still operates today. In fact, in South Australia it operates in my electorate, and I very much enjoy going along to see them.

This Sunday, 9 September, Veterans SA, in partnership with the RSL and the War Widows Guild, is conducting a service to commemorate the 103^rd anniversary of the unveiling of the Australasian Soldiers Dardanelles Cenotaph at the Lundie Gardens. I would just encourage any members who are available to avail themselves of the fact. Come along. Also, I thank the member for Florey for her important question.