Light Electorate

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:29): Today, I would like to bring to the house's attention a few matters that relate to my electorate of Light. Firstly, I would just like to put on the record the fact that our local paper, The Bunyip, has returned to publication. After 157 years of publication, it ceased for a period of time as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the sense that it lost quite a bit of revenue. It was great to see The Bunyip return and play an important role in informing and educating our community and also in holding our government to account. I understand that it has been well received by the community.

I would also like to mention the ANZAC Day commemoration services. As members would be aware, all the public commemoration services were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is understandable. We are trying to keep our community safe, and that is understandable. However, it is interesting how the community responded to that. ANZAC Day is when, as a community, we want to acknowledge and honour the contribution made by previous and current service personnel. That is certainly very clear. What really impressed me were the rather unique ways that people in our community found to do that.

We did not hold a service in Gawler, which we hold annually and which normally attracts somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people, but I think that an equal number of people were involved in their own way. I would like to put on the record some of the things people did because it is quite instructive, as there was quite a range of unique ways. Common to all the ways that people decided to commemorate the day was that they were solemn events, they were respectful events and they were quite proud, in the sense that they were proud to be part of something bigger and proud to be part of a community, whether that community was a street, a family, a neighbourhood or the town they live in.

During this period, I was very fortunate to meet up with Mrs Jean Evans, a 97-year-old lady who had a particular interest in the ANZAC Day commemoration. Her two brothers and her late husband had actually fought in World War II; one of the brothers never returned. ANZAC Day is very important to her to enable her to be part of an event that shows her respect, and our community's respect, to the people who gave their lives.

One of the things she did was to proudly wave the Australian flag, and she flew the Australian flag on her home. She also had a red item on her letterbox to symbolise the women during wartime who waited for mail to come from a loved one saying that they were safe or with some news about that loved one. Sadly, in many cases, when a letter did arrive it told them that the person had died in the conflict. Often, it would only come some months later, or much later after the person had been killed.

In terms of some of the things that people did, Janet Delaney stood under her flag with lanterns and candles, listening to the Triple M broadcast, and her neighbours were out at the same time. Marc Webb was on his farm by his flag, with a candle burning and rum and coffee in the other hand. Aaron McCulloch stood outside his parents' house, listening to the national dawn service, and about eight people in his street were doing the same. Everybody went silent to show their respect at that time. Conor Roche, a member of the town band, stood with other members at the end of their driveways to pay their respects, with a number of them performing The Last Post. I noticed that right across the town of Gawler the bugles could be heard in the morning as the candles broke the darkness.

Maursie McKenzie from Gawler West and her neighbours stood on their driveways at 5.55am, and she made the comment that it was wonderful to see the dotted candlelight down the road as The Last Post was played. It was very emotional for her and her neighbours. I would like thank the community for showing their respect to our ANZACs.