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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-06-29 Daily Xml
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AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL EXHIBITION

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:24): Will the Premier advise the house about the Australian War Memorial's touring exhibition entitled This Company of Brave Men: the Gallipoli VCs?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:24): On Friday night, 25 June, I was honoured to open the Australian War Memorial's special 95th Gallipoli Anniversary touring exhibition, This Company of Brave Men: the Gallipoli VCs, at the State Library of South Australia. The member for Morphett and other members of parliament from both houses and, indeed, the federal parliament took part in what I thought was a wonderful launch. It was great to see Keith Payne (one of the two surviving living VC recipients in Australia) attending, coming from Brisbane; and also the famous journalist Keith Dunstan, whose father was a VC recipient and was being honoured in the exhibition.

The Australian War Memorial describes the Victoria Cross as a rare award given when the nation is at war, facing peril or a great test of national commitment. It recognises individuals who by their extraordinary deeds of bravery and sometimes with the sacrifice of their own life provide leadership, courage and an example to all around them and beyond. The entire nation draws pride and inspiration from these brave diggers. Of course, there is no greater single honour, award or accolade. The Victoria Cross is not a gilded jewel or an ostentatious ornament. Rather than precious metals it is traditionally struck from brass recovered from historic old, captured cannons. Its inscription is limited to two words: 'For Valour'.

On 25 April 1915 Australians and New Zealanders (the Anzacs), together with Indian soldiers, landed on the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula. In the hellish eight-month long Gallipoli campaign which followed nine Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross. Seven of these awards were made for actions performed during the Battle of Lone Pine. These nine Victoria Crosses displayed in this exhibition at the State Library and the lives they honour enlighten us as to the proper definition of heroism. The nine stories these citations recount are compelling tales of personal courage, of unflinching loyalty, of love of country.

Of course, many members would be familiar with the legend of Lance Corporal Albert Jacka, the first of the nine to be awarded the Victoria Cross. On 19 May 1915 Jacka single-handedly attacked enemy soldiers who had occupied his trench. He also performed brave deeds at Pozieres and Bullecourt and it is generally believed that he deserved two more VCs for these actions.

Less well known but equally remarkable are the feats of Second Lieutenant Hugo Throssell, who was educated at Prince Alfred College here in Adelaide, where he captained the football team and became a champion athlete and boxer. Throssell became involved in a fierce bomb fight at Hill 60. Despite terrible wounds he refused to leave his post for medical assistance and continued to fight seemingly oblivious to the bomb splinters embedded in his forehead and the fact that his arms were so badly wounded that he was unable to raise a cigarette to his lips when the fighting finally abated the next day. He was the only Australian Light Horseman ever to be awarded a Victoria Cross.

Captain Alfred Shout was awarded a Victoria Cross for his ferocious defence of captured positions. He was severely wounded when a bomb exploded in his hand. He was evacuated immediately but died of his wounds on a hospital ship and was buried at sea. Two months later his Victoria Cross was gazetted.

On 9 August 1915 Private John Hamilton was aged just 19 when he lay on open ground between rival trenches for six hours with only a few sandbags for protection, telling those in the trenches where to fire as he fired on Turkish bomb throwers. Private Hamilton was the only one of his unit to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the entire war.

Lance Corporal Leonard Keysor was born in London and migrated from Canada to Sydney only a short time before the war broke out. For 50 hours in his trench during the Battle of Lone Pine, Keysor smothered or returned a hail of Turkish bombs, even catching some of them in flight and hurling them straight back.

On 9 August 1915 Lieutenant William Symons was ordered to retake Jacob's Trench at Lone Pine. Under continued attack from three sides he led a charge and retook the trench. Following one particular action during the fighting at Lone Pine three brave Australian solders were awarded the Victoria Cross. Corporal William Dunstan, Corporal Alexander Stewart Burton and Lieutenant Frederick Tubb fought relentlessly alongside each other to hold and rebuild a captured trench that was being repeatedly destroyed by deadly enemy bomb and gunfire attacks. Sadly, Corporal Burton was killed by one of several bombs which exploded, and his body was never recovered. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Last year I was honoured to meet Australia's newest recipient of the Victoria Cross, Trooper Mark Donaldson VC. Members will recall the courage and valour shown by Trooper Donaldson during Operation Slipper in Afghanistan in September 2008. Trooper Donaldson's combined Afghan, US and Australian vehicle convoy was ambushed by the enemy and the patrol suffered many casualties. Trooper Donaldson deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw attention to himself so that wounded soldiers could be moved to safety. Realising that an Afghan interpreter had been wounded, he moved alone on foot across 80 metres of exposed ground to recover the interpreter and return him to the vehicles, where he administered first aid, while at the same time engaging the enemy.

The reality and brutality of war has been brought home to all of us in the starkest terms through the tragic events of recent weeks in Afghanistan, with five young Australian lives lost and an even greater number badly injured. There can be no greater act of citizenship than to put at risk your very existence for the benefit of others. Poignant and powerful, this outstanding exhibition helps all of us better understand and appreciate the sacrifice made by so many Australian service men and women. In fact, by honouring the VC winners from Gallipoli in this way it is very much a tribute, a silent handshake across the void between the living and the dead. The exhibition is open until 8 August. I urge all South Australians, and I hope all members will have a chance, to view this outstanding exhibition at the State Library, because theirs are the sacrifices upon which our nation has been built.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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