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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
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ANZAC Day

Ms COOK (Fisher) (11:56): I move:

That the house—

(a) recognises that ANZAC Day, 25 April 2015, commemorates the centenary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915;

(b) pays its collective respects to the 416,809 Australians who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and the millions of others who fought and supported the defence efforts of this country since; and

(c) remembers all Australian service men and women, support personnel and animals that have been injured, traumatised or killed in action.

I am honoured to move the motion commemorating the 100th anniversary of Australia's engagement at Anzac Cove. One hundred years ago tens of thousands of Australians went away for king and country to Gallipoli Cove in now modern Turkey, then the Ottoman Empire. Tragically 8,709 men were killed in the engagement. ANZAC Day is how Australia has come to celebrate the commitment not just of the soldiers at Gallipoli but of all the men and women who have gone to defend our nation, as well as to mourn those we have lost. However, why ANZAC Day? Why has it become the day on which we choose to honour fallen Australians?

On 25 April 1915 Australians first landed at Gallipoli Cove. For all intents and purposes our engagement at Gallipoli Cove was a failure. The operation was decided upon by the British government, who viewed Australian and New Zealand forces, as well as the armies of all their other colonies and dominions, as an extension of their own army. They deployed Australian troops in Turkey, a nation halfway around the globe that presented no real threat to Australia, and Australian forces were deployed at the bottom of cliffs against a well-armed Ottoman army. The odds were stacked against a successful operation. The soldiers, having made no strategic gains, barely made it past the beach. The mission was a complete failure.

This mission, however, was the first time we saw Australian troops deployed on a mission on their own. There were no other British forces with them, just Australians and New Zealanders. It is the day that Australia stood on its own two feet and demonstrated to the world that we are here, we are a nation, and that we have a part to play in the world. We showed our bravery, our resolve, and we were respected. It is also a day that demonstrates the futility of war. Thousands of men fought and died against a nation that was no threat to Australia. ANZAC Day has come to be a day that we celebrate the bravery of those who did fight, whilst also reflecting on what has often been the pointlessness of that fighting.

Throughout our engagements it is not just the sacrifice of our soldiers that we need reflect upon, but also of the thousands of people who have supported our troops. Thousands of nurses and medical practitioners have been sent away with our soldiers, and they have been sent to some of the most dangerous places on this planet and have worked in some of the most desperate of situations. They decided to assist Australians fighting, and put their own life at risk to ensure that Australians remained healthy and able to do what they were sent to do and to fight for.

I note that there are so many stories that have come out of World War II. I want to share a story of a veteran from Clarendon, Seaman Merton Loud. His story is not unique; however, like so many other veterans, his life, his story, is extraordinary. Merton completed his schooling in Clarendon and worked at Norton Summit, but his sole ambition was to be a sailor. Merton volunteered in May 1940 at the age of 17 and entered the Navy in 1941. After training, he became a leading seaman and was involved in 13 naval engagements between May 1941 and January 1945.

Merton, or Mert as was his nickname in the Navy, wrote many letters home to his brother Lindsay and sister-in-law Nita. From these letters we find a bit of an insight into the life of a young man who had many of the qualities we associate with the ANZAC culture. The letters also demonstrate that he had vision beyond this journey as a soldier. In one such letter he wrote:

I hope you are both well and enjoying married life. I am not quite enjoying life at present but it is not bad enough to complain about.

He went on to say:

There are a lot of weddings in Clarendon lately, you must have started a craze and what are not getting married are in the AIF.

He went on to write:

Thank Nita very much for offering to knit me articles. Well at present I have two spare pairs of socks, 2 sets of mittens and a scarf, 1 pullover which Joy Nichol's knitted and it will be a long time before I would want one of them. But what I would like is a Navy Service pullover but sleeveless and very close knit. I don't know if she has a pattern or not but they're just like a bag with holes for arms and head cut in it.

In another letter home in April 1943 Merton observed:

There has been a lot of changes since I have been home lads getting killed etc. others married and a lot of old people died and young ones born so I will have to mind my step or I might be making a date with someone's wife…According to Mother's letters there are not too many of the local lads left at home now, girls are scarce aren't they. I see by the Chronicle that one of the Flat 'Lines' is now engaged to a lad in the AIF so I had better not go out with her again.

Leading Seaman Merton Loud was killed while serving on battleship Australia on 5 January 1945. He was only 21 years old.

When we reflect back on the wars that Australia has fought in, I think it is helpful to not just look at the numbers but remember that those who died had families, friends and communities. It is important to remember that people who made the ultimate sacrifice had lives just like ours before they went away to fight.

There was also a considerable effort made by those who remained on the home front. During the first two world wars, women, who traditionally were homemakers, tended to their families. However, when war came around, these women stepped up to fulfil their roles that they were usually told they could not do, whether that was farming, working in factories or providing support for troops. Their losses shaped their communities differently forever.

One hundred years on, Australians need to remember all the sacrifices that were made for them and reflect on how this has made our lives the enjoyable and peace-filled lives that we have today. I commend this motion to the house.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (12:03): I am very pleased to rise to support this motion today. It is unfortunate that the house will not be sitting on or around ANZAC Day this year so that we can share a bit more about our feelings, particularly commemorating the centenary of the Gallipoli landing in the Great War, the war that was supposed to end all wars, the war in which over 60,000 Australians were killed. Wars continue to happen. The irony is that the war that was supposed to end all wars did not end them and, a generation later, they were back at it, in 1939.

It is pretty personal for many in this place, I suspect, and it is very personal for me as well. I suspect that many in this place did have members of their family who fought in the first war. Being born when I was, both my grandfather and my godfather were First World War veterans, and I had two great aunts who never married because there simply weren't enough men around the place after the war, so this matter is very relevant to me.

I mention particularly my grandfather, the late Harry Morris, 9th Light Horse, who fought in the last cavalry charge of Beersheba and came back safely. In fact, all members of his family—I think there were three brothers and a cousin—came back safely. His cousin was actually P.K. Morris who had the service station with all the bowsers at Murray Bridge which many of us remember from crossing the bridge before the freeway was built.

My grandfather was a big strapping man and he certainly was a great character. I remember him well. The sad part is that I never spoke to him about the Great War. It just did not occur to us at that age to discuss those things. I was 21 when he passed away, quite suddenly, but we still have memorabilia of his, and his photo is still up in my house, my sister's house and the houses of various family members and we will not forget him.

Likewise my godfather, Donald Redding—I bear his surname as my second name—actually fought in World War I. His father brought him out here to work on a farm in Western Australia when he was about 12 and he went into the first war in the 1st Light Horse. One of his brothers was actually killed on one of the trains that Lawrence of Arabia blew up. He saw such horrors in World War I that he actually became a Church of England minister after the war and then he went back and did World War II in the Middle East, Kokoda, Borneo, etc. He was quite a remarkable man. He won the MBE for his service in World War II.

We grew up with all of this and these men who we thought were old in our youth who by that stage were 50-odd, a similar age to some in this place, but not as old as some, I might add. It was a war that really made Australia and, of course, the Gallipoli landing is something that really introduced Australia to dreadful conflict. We did have many Australians in the Boer War, but as a federation, as a country, Gallipoli was really the birthplace of a huge amount of service before they went on to France and other fields of conflict.

I take the time every year to sit down and watch the dawn service from Anzac Cove on ANZAC Day as I think it does the soul good to do that and it reminds people of what we should be remembering. I always feel quite emotional when I watch that and I particularly feel quite emotional watching the young people who are there. I would dearly love to be there this year in some ways, but in other ways I would rather go there in my own time to walk around and have a good look at Anzac Cove and the area around Gallipoli.

Kemal Atatürk, the great Turkish leader, told the mothers of those Australians who were killed there that they were now sons of Turkey and that they would be looked after. To this day they still are and I think that is rather amazing where we have gone in that relationship.

It is also my generation that grew up with our fathers, including my father, fighting in the second war, so it just does not go away and it will never go away. There are many in this place who have similar stories, so it is nothing new.

Recently, The Islander newspaper on Kangaroo Island has been running a series of stories about those from the island who were actually lost in the first war. The copy that I have only just received today talked about two brothers from the Burdon family on Kangaroo Island. The mother lost both her sons and it was such a huge strain on the parents that the mother died at the age of 54 from the stress of losing her first son. She never actually knew, from my reading, that her second son had died as well. Those are horrendous stories, and I commend The Islander newspaper for the way it has been portraying these stories over the past few weeks and will continue to do so in the lead up to ANZAC Day.

ANZAC Day this year will be special for everybody. I get highly irate when it is referred to by some as the 'celebration' of ANZAC Day. I get highly annoyed and correct them very rapidly. It is a commemoration, not a celebration. We never celebrate war: we always commemorate it in honour of the fallen and those who came back. Some need to spark up on that.

It has been significant that in the schools in my electorate and in others that the education department has sent out a series of information packs and displays that have helped teach our children at school more about World War I in the lead-up to the centenary of ANZAC, and that is a good thing. I note that the Australian War Memorial now has a travelling roadshow, and I would dearly love to see it. I am of the view that every Australian owes it to the fallen and to those who served to go to the War Memorial in Canberra and spend a significant amount of time walking around just to learn what they may not know. I try to do it every three or four years; I think it does the soul good to go and do that.

I am very cognisant of the importance of ANZAC Day every year, but particularly this year. Next Monday, the Governor is rededicating the Soldiers Memorial Park gates in Kingscote, something which I will attend. It is something the state government has put money into, and I am pleased about that. The federal government has put in a lot of money. At Victor Harbor, the bureaucrats have interfered with the ability to put some new plaques, which received funding, on the memorial down there: the ridiculous bureaucrats in the heritage area are saying that we cannot put on the plaques because they are not heritage and because it is not appropriate to put them there. I think they are damn fools, quite frankly.

The loss was so great to multitudes of towns that if you drive around Australia every single small town you go through has a memorial, particularly to those who died in World War I. The enormous grove of Norfolk Island pines at Victor Harbor, near the entrance to Granite Island, is indicative of one of those memorials. It does not matter where you go, they are everywhere. If you stop at Second Valley, just around the corner off the main road is a tiny memorial to the sons who went—and they were all sons who were killed. I support the motion.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (12:13): I rise as the Minister for Veterans and as the member for Waite to commend the motion. World War I marked, in a way, a period that is almost unfathomable in current times. To think that from a population of less than five million we raised an army of more than 400,000, of which some 330,000 were deployed overseas, is truly remarkable. At one point, Australian forces held 20 per cent of the Western Front: a country this size, almost one-fifth of the line. At war's end, over 60,000 had been killed—5,565 South Australians or, put differently, nearly one in five of those deployed overseas.

I should remind the house that a large number died in the years after returning from the conflict, either by their own hand, through wounds or other suffering. I also pay tribute to the efforts of the families who had to care for those who returned. It is a story we do not often hear, but at a time when we did not understand post-traumatic stress or psychology very well at all, these boys came home to their mothers, their wives, their children or their families and had to be managed, helped and assisted along the way. We should remember those in the families who helped after the war as much as those who suffered through it.

Compared to Australia's modern-day population, our contribution to World War I would roughly equate to 240,000 Australians being killed in a world war, should it occur tomorrow. Can you just imagine the impact that would have on families and communities all over the nation? If we had been able to see what was going on on the beaches of Gallipoli, and in fact on the Western Front on all sides, in our family lounge rooms, as we could today, the whole war might have come to an end far sooner if the full shock and horror of it had been brought home to people, but of course these were different times.

The First World War touched the lives of nearly every Australian and South Australian family, and many of the impacts are still with us today, as we have heard. One of the most tragic South Australian stories of sacrifice I am aware of comes from one of our most beautiful locations in the state. Four brothers and one cousin from the Watherston family of Port Lincoln made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Frank Watherston died of gunshot wounds he sustained at Gallipoli in July 1915. Frank's brothers—Cyril, Edward and James—all subsequently died within four months of each other in France during 1916. The brothers' cousin, Sidney Watherston, was killed in action in August 1918 while serving with the 50th Battalion. What an extraordinary sacrifice for one family. Could we just take a moment to remember what that must have been like for the parents. It is just too difficult to imagine.

The sacrifice made by all the South Australians who fell will not be forgotten. The South Australian government will soon be announcing a program of commemorative events throughout the next four years to signify especially our remembrance of their sacrifice. I had the great pleasure on Sunday of awarding travel vouchers, jackets and other packages to 22 young schoolchildren who will be our representation at the ceremonies on 25 April in Turkey at Gallipoli. We felt it was appropriate to send a group of teenagers, with their supervisors and representatives of the RSL, to act for us at that commemoration, rather than a group of dignitaries.

As we go through the commemorations of the next four years, the government would very much like to ensure that they are local, that they involve country communities in every town across the state and local government jurisdictions and local communities here within the city of Adelaide, rather than becoming a commemoration of large signature events attended principally by dignitaries. We really want to activate the local stories and the local family histories.

We really want country communities to be able to go to that memorial, look at those names and ask themselves: who were these people? Who were these families? Where did they come from? Who is still in the region from those families? What did it mean for them? What does it mean for us? What is my connection? We think that, by activating those local histories, we will be able to tell a story. I commend the RSL for its virtual memorial, where people can now log on and download their own stories and have them retained forever.

As these families fade from memory, as these people fade from memory, as those who knew them directly start to go as well, there is an opportunity to make sure that the stories are recorded for future generations through capabilities we now have like the RSL's virtual memorial. The service and sacrifice rendered by all these families is etched in history, along with that of many others—not only on the World War I honour roll in various country towns across the state but in every town and suburb which has been affected one way or the other.

During the ANZAC Centenary period, all Australians will be encouraged to reflect upon and learn more about our military history, its costs and its impacts on us as a state and as a nation. The government of South Australia is proud of the more than 400,000 Australians who enlisted and served their country during the First World War, particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We should remember that, while 25 April 2015 marks the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, we should never forget the service and sacrifice of our servicemen and women and their families, carers and loved ones who have served the country in all conflicts over the last century.

I was particularly proud on Saturday to welcome home the veterans from Operation Slipper, the many thousands of them, many of them still in uniform. It was encouraging to see the age of the young veterans. It was good to talk with the parents of some of the five South Australians who were killed during Operation Slipper, one of them from Kangaroo Island. It was good to meet the Larcombes again on Saturday. These sacrifices, more recently, by younger veterans carry the light from those who went before them on the beaches of Gallipoli, in the deserts of North Africa, in the skies over Europe and on the oceans of the South Pacific during World War II from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

It is a great motion. The house will not be sitting again before ANZAC Day, but every member of the place will be involved in their own commemorative activities and it is wholly appropriate that we will be debating this on the last day of sitting before we go in to that very commemorative and important period to us all.

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (12:20): I also rise today to acknowledge that ANZAC Day, 25 April 2015, will commemorate the centenary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. I too pay my respects to the over 416,000 Australians who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and the millions of others who fought and supported the defence efforts of this country since. I also pay tribute to all Australian service men and women, support personnel and animals that have been injured, traumatised or killed in action.

Courage, mateship, sacrifice: these are the sorts of words that come to mind and continue to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity when you talk about ANZAC Day. It goes beyond the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915. It is the day on which we certainly remember Australians who have served and who died, not only in the First World War but in all wars, conflicts and also peacekeeping operations.

In 1914, reports from Europe gave an increasingly desperate forecast, when you see that Europe was teetering towards war in a conflict between an increasingly strong and powerful Germany and the rival British, French and Russian alliance. As Britain returned to work after the August bank holiday Monday, war was declared on Germany, and the declaration involved the whole British Empire. Australia's prime minister, Joseph Cook, said at the time, 'If the old country is at war, so are we.'

It goes without saying that this First World War took an enormous toll. It took an enormous toll on the young Australia of the time. Before I get to that, I also want to mention that the member for Morphett did want to speak this morning. He was, unfortunately, called to an urgent private function, but he commends the motion to the house as well. He is certainly very passionate about this and I would like to think that my contribution reflects his intent as well, as does the member for Finniss's.

Total enlistments at the time, from 1914 to 1918, are said to be over 400,000. It is interesting to note that between 1914 and 1918, the Australian population was about 4.9 million. That is about 10 per cent; it is massive. This war had a huge impact. Out of the around 420,000 Australians enlisted for service in the First World War, 38.7 per cent was of the male population aged between 18 and 44. Of course, this is why in years after this Australia had to 'populate or perish', because this war had a massive impact on the productivity of Australia. Australia made a massive sacrifice for this war. When you look at the enlistments by force or service, 412,953 were part of the Australian Imperial Force; 3,651 were part of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force; 2,861 were part of the Australian Army Nursing Service; and 1,275 were part of the Royal Australian Navy.

ANZAC is intensely connected with its origins at the Gallipoli landing but also subsequent Australian experiences in the First World War and conflicts since. It is interesting to note that the military events from which ANZAC originated and those which have since nurtured it have also occurred mostly outside of Australia. ANZAC is iconically represented through the stereotype of the digger, initially the volunteer civilian foot soldier of the First World War. You will find many of these warrior-type figures across much time and space, but in the modern era these have tended to become very diverse. The Australian equivalent is the digger, whose powerful image was based on the volunteer civilian foot soldier of the 1st AIF and, since then, the term has come to apply to all Australian military personnel.

Although the ANZAC has traditionally been considered a secular concept, ANZAC certainly has very strong overtones of the sacred. It is a commemoration, but also a celebration. The need for commemoration of the war dead, particularly in this conflict, has always been matched by the need to celebrate the birth of a nation, because this is what this conflict did: it saw the birth of a nation.

I have alluded to the centenary of ANZAC committee, which I have been part of in my local electorate. It has been an absolute honour and pleasure to be part of that and to at least do what we can in this day and age to contribute to the memory of those who have served before us. I do pay tribute to the Kensington Park RSL, St Martin's Anglican Church, Campbelltown City Council, St George's Church Magill, Payneham RSL and Glynde RSL, who continue to do fantastic work to recognise the important tradition that is ANZAC. I commend this motion to the house.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (12:26): Of course, I rise to support the motion and everything it speaks about. ANZAC Day is a special day for so many people because, as was said earlier today, so many of us have connections to this dreadful war. For me, one of the connections to the First World War came through my research on Muriel Matters, who, as you all know, is someone I spend a lot of time researching.

The very first piece of handwriting I found from Muriel was the letter she sent to the British Red Cross to thank them for advising the family about what had happened to her beloved brother, Charles Adams Matters, who was born in Port Augusta on 28 October 1885. He enlisted on 4 September 1914. He was a veterinary surgeon, had a sweetheart and was well loved by everybody in his family, and it was a large family. He went away in the 6th Battalion and rose to become the colour sergeant major. When he arrived at Gallipoli as part of the reinforcements, he was part of the second push in August that year.

The field report speaks of the regimental sergeant major being tall and heavy with a black moustache, aged about 25, but in actual fact he was around 28. He goes on to say that he was:

…in the charge on the German Officers' Trench between Johnston's Jolly and Check Board on the 6 August. The first attack was made at midnight just after they reached the Turk's trench. He fell mortally wounded.

After some intelligible words, the field reporter goes on to say:

…the next day, through the periscope, it was noticed that the Turks were seen to be throwing out the bodies, Matters being picked out owing to his heavy moustache. He appeared to have been stripped and witnesses did not observe the Turks burying the body.

Of course, that was the terrible fate for many of our soldiers: their bodies were never returned or never found. Many of their names appear on the Australian memorial at Lone Pine, and of course that is where Charles Matters' name is, along with his fallen comrades.

We always support all our fighting people, but it is the actual wars themselves that we must question, and that is why it is of great interest to me that the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom talks about wearing white poppies along with our red poppies on the days of remembrance—white poppies to signify the futility of war and the red poppies, of course, to remember those who have fallen and made sacrifices. It is not only those who go overseas—and we know the terrible price that is paid, people lose their lives—but also those who are injured and come home; the families must also help to support those people when they come back and try to pick up their lives, as so many of them had to do after the First World War. Another point that was made by another of our members this morning was millions of women never married or had families of their own because of the loss of so many men.

I know, sir, that you have a great relationship with the Tea Tree Gully RSL, something that you were very kind to share with me. I want to put on the record the names on the Roll of Honour from the First World War at the Tea Tree Gully RSL. They are: W. Lucas, W. Lewis, A.V. Phillips, E.L. Angove and E.R. Elliott. I will have the great honour of being in London on ANZAC Day this year and will lay a wreath at their dawn service to commemorate our brave soldiers from the Tea Tree Gully RSL and, of course, all the other Australian soldiers. We commend the motion to the house.

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (12:30): It is also a pleasure for me and, indeed, a humbling experience to talk in support of the motion. I do not profess to be an expert on the history of World War I or the wars. I think war, by definition, is terrible because the result is death and the tragedy that comes with that; but it does bring out, in many cases, the absolute best in people.

Many of my vintage would have watched the images, read about it, talked to people who are veterans and had family members who were veterans and tried to understand some of the issues that they have dealt with in their lives, and it is humbling for us who have lived in relative peace. My brother is a navy veteran of 20 years and when I have spoken to RSL groups I have said I have been blessed in my life and been lucky enough to be elected to parliament but my brother, by virtue of having served his nation, is the high achiever in my family and I will never resile from that. I believe it very strongly.

It is amazing that a nation of 4.9 million people committed as it did, and Australia should be very proud of its World War I efforts. I commend the member for Hartley for referring to a detail that is often not talked about enough and that is the number of men between the age of 18 and 44 who served. He has quoted, I think, 38.9 per cent, to be very precise. When I talk to people in general terms I use 40. It is like four people out of every cricket team served their nation. It is hard to equate to that level of commitment that was given. The member for Waite (the minister) referred to the 5,505 people from South Australia alone who died in World War I, and it is such a sobering thought.

The images that are with us are of the futility of it. There was the comradeship, the spirit, the teamwork and obeying of orders even when there must be a level of wondering what the hell these orders are about and what the result is going to be. We should try to put ourselves into the places of those men who were waiting in the trenches ready to go over the top. The whistle is about to be blown and they have seen their comrades go in front of them and many fall within metres of going over the top, and they think, 'Why the hell am I going to do this?' Their thoughts must be with their families.

In the movies and in the documentaries we see the many bits that were left behind, being the last scribbled notes of the last thoughts going through the mind of those people. They want to be consumed not about what they are about to challenge and face but what potentially they are leaving behind. Sadly, so many of them did, but they still did it. It is something that we have to be respectful of at all times and not just use important days, such as 25 April or 11 November, as the days for us to remember the sacrifices that are made but we should consider it every day.

When I have spoken at ANZAC Day functions, I have challenged the younger generation. Sadly, too many do not have respect for or a belief in our veterans but I ask them to consider the fact that many older people of the age of 80 or above, now (or, indeed, the many Vietnam veterans and younger veterans who are returning from other conflicts), when they see them walking down the street and they might be stooped over and struggling a bit, probably did serve; and we have the quality of life that we do because of the effort and sacrifice that was made.

I put on the record my appreciation of the minister (the member for Waite) who visited my area probably about four months ago, and a significant part of that trip was to meet with RSL groups. That has created some funding support for a significant event on Yorke Peninsula, coordinated by the RSL clubs from across the peninsula, on 18 April. Some might question why it is a week beforehand but it was done deliberately to pay respects to the importance of 25 April and to give the local RSL groups and those who wish to go to other functions to march a chance to do so on the traditional day and for the collective effort of many in the community to come together in the one place on 18 April. That will be a significant event on Yorke Peninsula, and it is one I am proud to be part of. I am also proud to be helping to launch a book written from the diaries of the veterans from Middleton who passed away.

This is an important motion. It is a motion that expresses our pride and it is one that Australia as a nation can reflect upon and consider the implications of it in our everyday lives and in everything we decide to do and the way we act, because we have to be respectful of those who have gone before us and what they have done. I commend the motion.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (12:35): I rise to support the motion. ANZAC Day, on 25 April, is a day of national remembrance. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I, when soldiers of the Third Australian Brigade were the first ANZAC troops to set foot on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Historical sources reveal that these men, many of them carried in Royal Navy ships, were woken in the early hours of the morning, fed and marshalled into rowing boats. They were then towed towards the beach en masse, and they themselves rowed the remaining distance to the shore. It was about 4.30am on Sunday 25 April 1915. It was the wrong position, and those men, many barely out of their teens, came under fire before even setting foot on the beach. The waves of soldiers from Australia and New Zealand that followed that initial small fleet were subjected to heavy bombardment. Some dug into trenches and others tried to scale the cliffs.

Over eight long months, Australia suffered 25,000 casualties, including 8,700 deaths, and New Zealand lost 2,700 of its men. Sons, fathers, husbands and brothers lost their life, causing immeasurable suffering to their families, many of whom lost whole generations of men. Of all wars, the First World War caused the greatest suffering in terms of death and casualties for Australia. From a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted; of those, 61,522 were killed and thousands were wounded.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us with the creation of what became known as the ANZAC legend, an important part of the identity of both nations. ANZAC occupies a unique place in our national memory. Let's take this year's centenary anniversary and those that follow as opportunities to consider that which forms our national character, to remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I and also in World War II and in the many wars where Australia has answered the call, and also to lend our support to those men and women who are presently in war zones or on peacekeeping missions overseas: they are all keepers of the ANZAC flame.

I look forward to again this year paying tribute to our ANZAC legend at the dawn service at the Gilles Plains and Hampstead RSL sub-branch memorial, which will be followed again by the traditional gunfire breakfast and a casual lunch of pie floater and bangers and mash at noon.

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (12:38): I also rise to speak to the centenary of ANZAC motion and commend the member for Fisher for moving that motion today. The centenary of ANZAC is a moment for deep reflection in our communities about the meaning of service and sacrifice, not just at Gallipoli. In my own electorate of Davenport, an ANZAC vigil will begin at 6.30pm on Friday 24 April, and services on ANZAC Day will be held at Blackwood, Coromandel Valley and Flagstaff Hill.

The Coromandel Community Association and the Blackwood RSL will also host Rebecca Watt and her jazz band, who will play war songs, and the National Trust of Coromandel Valley will erect information boards and a space for children and adults to learn about the history and meaning of the ANZAC ceremony. The Blackwood Freemasons and the Coromandel Rotary Club and Lions Club and many others have made funding or in-kind contributions for this special day.

ANZAC Day is an opportunity for us all to show our gratitude for the freedom we enjoy and to recognise that our freedom comes as a result of the extreme sacrifice that men and women from Davenport and from other places in our state and nation have made. Over 60,000 Australian men were killed and over 156,000 men were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner in the Great War.

Recently, the vice president of my local RSL in Blackwood, David Matthews, gifted his father's medals to the Australian War Memorial. Captain Lionel Matthews' story is deeply moving, and I wish to share it with the house today. Captain Matthews was taken prisoner by the Japanese in Borneo and interred in the Sandakan prisoner of war camp. At Sandakan, he became leader of the underground resistance movement. He was executed by the Japanese on 2 March 1944.

As is well known to this house, Sandakan is often regarded as one of the worst of the Japanese prison camps. At the end of the war, some 2,345 allied prisoners had died at Sandakan in the death marches or through torture, malnutrition or through mere exhaustion. Only six Australians survived the camp, all of whom escaped.

Captain Matthews was awarded the George Cross and the Military Cross. Japanese Lieutenant-Colonel Tatsuji Suga said, when executing Captain Matthews, 'I have just executed the bravest man I know.' Before he was executed, Captain Matthews was brutally tortured, and official war records show that during the ordeal he steadfastly refused to make admissions that would implicate or endanger the lives of other men. The dedication on the war memorial in Blackwood reads: 'Their name liveth for ever more.' Lest we forget.

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (12:41): I rise to support the motion of the member for Fisher, and congratulate her on moving it, to commemorate the centenary of ANZAC. At dawn one century ago, young Australian troops landed on the Turkish beaches to fight in the First World War. The sacrifice made by those young soldiers was both tragic and heroic. The Gallipoli campaign cost over 8,000 young lives, but these brave men did not fight in vain. This historic event marked the first time Australian soldiers fought for Australia, as its own nation, on the world stage—a moment that helped define us as a nation.

I look forward to joining the veterans and thousands of community members at the Port Noarlunga Christies Beach RSL branch on ANZAC Day this year to help commemorate this special day. I commend the members of that RSL for the hard work they do in the community, including talking about the history of ANZAC in local primary schools. I would also like to particularly note the work this year of the Fleurieu Peninsula Family History Group, who have been busy for months collecting and reporting on the stories of local ANZACs, which they will be publishing in a book next year.

This group has been supported by an ANZAC grant, supported by the federal member for Kingston, Amanda Rishworth. I had much pleasure in meeting with Kath Fisher from the group recently, who shared with me some of the stories of local ANZACs in the local Kaurna electorate, and one of those was of William How of Port Willunga. He enlisted in 1916 for the First World War and provided engineering services with the Australian Tunnelling Company in the far north of France. One can only imagine the horrors faced in terms of the tunnelling and engineering services during that trench warfare.

During the war, he developed a lung infection and became hospitalised in England, returning to Australia in 1919 after serving for three years. He was awarded medals, such as the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, for his service. While he settled back in Port Willunga and set up a dairy farm, I am informed that after the war he suffered shellshock for many years. It is when thinking about these people from your own community who took up the call for service for their country and served in the Great War that the huge sacrifice that was made becomes all the more real. I commend the motion to the house.

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (12:43): I also rise to speak on and support this motion that recognises ANZAC Day, 25 April 2015, commemorating the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli and also remembering all Australian service men and women, support personnel and animals that were injured, traumatised or killed in action. I will be brief because I know a lot of people want to speak on this, and many people before me have spoken about the history of World War I. It has been mentioned, and I do concur with the sentiments they all shared.

Whenever I speak on ANZAC and our service men and women, I always like to start with 'Thank you.' I do not think there is much more that we can say than thank you. I have no RSL in my electorate; in fact, they spread far and wide around. I would like to also thank the people of all the RSLs who work very hard to keep the memory of the ANZACs alive with a respectful recognition of all our service men and women. I have been to a number of these services across the way—whether they be Remembrance Day services or ANZAC services—and sometimes I have just called in to an RSL for a cold one of an afternoon.

I would like to recognise the Marion RSL and Trevor Chapman, the president; Bruce Wright, the secretary; and the rest of the team for the wonderful work they do; and at the Brighton RSL, Trevor Whitelaw, the president; Paul Spencer, the secretary; Terry Howard, the treasurer; Jim Nicholson, the senior vice president; Graham Bulger, the junior vice president; Barry Coad, the assistant secretary; and the rest of their team and committee members. They do an outstanding job. In Morphett Vale, which takes in the southern part of my electorate, the president is Frank Owen OAM, and the secretary is Gordon Curtis; again, those two gentlemen and their team do a marvellous job.

This year, with some great support from the member for Bright, there will be a Hallett Cove memorial service on the beach. I commend the member for Bright for the work he has done in making this happen. There will be a youth vigil at Hallett Cove, which again is another great initiative to remember the ANZACs. There was one at Edwardstown last year, which I attended and which was very much pushed by the former mayor of the Marion council, Felicity-ann Lewis. Those youth vigils are great recognition of our ANZACs and another superb way for us to say thank you.

Australian defence personnel are made up of men and women who are prepared to put their life on the line for our democracy and freedom of speech. I am proud of our veterans—heroes all—who put themselves at serious risk in the defence of Australia and for the freedom we all enjoy. We must never begrudge this support and never forget their sacrifice. As many as 62,000 Australians were killed and 152,000 wounded in World War I. It is a fact and a memory we should all take with us, especially on ANZAC Day. ANZAC is a large part of the fabric of our nation and, again, I say thank you to all the service men and women past and present.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:46): I rise to the support the motion that this house:

(a) recognises that ANZAC Day, 25 April 2015, commemorates the centenary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915;

(b) pays its collective respects to the 416,809 Australians who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and the millions of others who fought in support of the defence efforts of this country since; and

(c) remembers all Australian service men and women, support personnel and animals that have been injured, traumatised or killed in action.

Noting the time we have today and the many members who want to speak, I will try to be brief. What this country went through was just amazing. Nearly 10 per cent of the population enlisted to fight in the Great War, as it was termed at the time—the 'war to end all wars'. It was a fantastic—probably 'fantastic' is the wrong word—

Mr Gardner: Fantastic in the true sense of the word.

Mr PEDERICK: Yes. It was unbelievable to think that so many people would put their life on the line. We note that 60,000, sadly, never came back to these shores. Quite frankly, I am not sure if everyone knew what they were quite in for when they left.

I want to quote from some letters. It is amazing that I have copies of letters from the Somme in 1917-18 from my great-uncle Joe and another friend of the family. I will read an extract. The letter says it is from 'somewhere in France', and I am pretty sure it is dated 5 November 1917. Writing to my grandparents, he says:

Dear Len and Dos,

Your letter reached me just over a week ago. A good long time in the line I had received no mail at all for some time. I said to a mate as we were edging out, 'I hope there's good mail waiting for me'. Imagine my delight on receiving 13 at once, as well as a parcel from home.

Well for the life of my I don't know what to write about as we are not supposed to mention military matters. All we're doing lately has been near the line, so there's nothing to say.

Obviously, there was plenty of action. It continues:

Just at present we are not having a bad time, but of course you never know what will follow on tomorrow.

A family friend had a bit more to say and got a bit more past the censor. Again, this was from 'somewhere in France' but is dated 13 July 1916. The letter says:

Dear Mrs Pederick,

I must say that I was very pleased indeed to receive such a nice pair of socks.

I am not exactly in the firing line at present but I have had a good share of it. I hope to be in it again in four days' time. I have had some very narrow escapes, one of which only my hat saved me. Several times I have been covered with mud from big shells firing close, that within a few yards a little piece of shell went straight through my trousers and cut my knee, not serious but made it sore for a while. I had my own thoughts on war but I now know different because I have been in one myself. A party of us were ordered to raid the enemy's trenches, not a very safe job. The roar of the artillery and bursting shells was a night one could never forget. You didn't know what part of a second you might be blown to pieces with a shell or run through with a bayonet or shot with a revolver or rifle. There are lots of ways to kill a man in an instant in war.

It's miraculous how many of us got back, but get back we did, nearly every one of us. One of our chaps got blown to pieces right alongside of me with a bomb. That might give you an idea of what we have to go through at times, but my word, our lads are game!

I would just like to recognise my family members who have been in the military over time: Uncle Joe in the First World War; Uncle Oz and Uncle Les in the Second World War; Uncle Les again and Uncle Royce in the Korean War; and my brother Chris served for 23 years in Rwanda, which was upgraded to war service from UN service, and served in Iraq in 2005-06.

I visited France and Belgium in 2010. You really have to go there to get an eye for what has happened. What really amazed me was the fact that we were attacking uphill most of the time against fortified trenches because, obviously, the Germans had dug in to defend. It really brings home the loss. There are 3,500 cemeteries in France and Belgium, and you really get a picture of the true loss and what our people went through. I was fortunate enough to find the grave of my brother-in-law's great-uncle. That was quite a moving moment.

Mr PISONI (Unley) (12:51): I rise to support of the motion. I have observed with interest for many years while attending dawn services at the beautiful memorial gardens in Unley the numbers growing to over 1,000 on ANZAC morning. I am particularly encouraged by the numbers of young people attending services, including groups from local schools and scouting organisations.

We know that over 8,000 Australians died in the Gallipoli campaign and, for Australia, as for many nations, the First World War remains the most costly conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, so on average, 38 members of the Australian armed forces died every day during the 1,560 days of the war. More recently in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2013, Australia tragically suffered 40 battlefield deaths, along with 262 wounded and significant numbers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

And although 25 April marks a century of the war and wars in which Australia has participated, our involvement in conflicts overseas as Australian representatives of our various colonies stretches back further still to the 1860s—the Maori Wars in New Zealand, the Sudan in the 1880s, the Boxer Rebellion and, more notably, the Boer War from 1899-1902

In fact, when the colonies federated in 1901, large numbers of Australians were on active service in South Africa, serving with both official contingents from their respective colonies and the various irregular Imperial units raised for the increasingly brutal second phase of the war. The Australian Commonwealth Horse of the Australian Army was formed for service in South Africa in 1902 and it was the first expeditionary military unit established by the newly-formed Commonwealth of Australia following Federation in 1901.

It was therefore the first truly Australian military force to serve overseas. Over 4,400 men enlisted in this new national force. It is now generally thought that about 16,000 Australians fought in the Boer War. This figure includes those who enlisted in Australian units, as well as the many raised locally in Africa. Of those, 282 died in action or from wounds sustained in the battle, while more again died from disease and other outcomes of the war.

Six Australians received the Victoria Cross in South Africa, and many received other decorations. Many Australians who served in the Boer War would subsequently serve in the First World War and at Gallipoli, including General William Bridges, who commanded the Australian 1st Division at Gallipoli, and the commander of the ANZAC Mounted Division, Harry Chauvel.

The bronze plaques of our own impressive Boer War Memorial, just across the road from parliament, list the names of 59 South Australians who died in the conflict. However, as many as a further 16 South Australians died in relation to the Boer War. Many of these were South Australians who paid their own way to the war and served in various colonial and imperial units. Adelaide Council records show that the omission of these 16 names were casualties of the fact that they were missed out on the original cast, and it cost too much to add them.

One of those fatalities not included on the plaque was George Dundas Kerr from Burra who served with various mounted units, including the Bushveldt Carbineers, and was later killed in action in the Transvaal while enlisting as a scout for British field intelligence. As one of the South Australians not commemorated on the Boer War memorial, he has since been recognised by the Australian Army as being the first Australian ever to be killed while officially engaged in military intelligence-gathering duties.

Several nephews of George served in the First World War. One nephew, Robert Kerr, served at Gallipoli with the first Adelaide-raised 3rd Light Horse Regiment. It is important to remember the Gallipoli campaign and make special note of this 100th anniversary. It is equally important that we continue to recognise it and honour the sacrifices of all Australian service personnel: past, present and future.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (12:55): Much has been said, and there is very little I can add that would be original or novel. I mainly thank the member for Fisher for bringing this motion to the house. I add my support of it and my gratitude to those who have served this country—overseas and domestically—over a very long period of time. I am particularly interested in the contribution given just now by the member for Unley and his discussion of the often-forgotten South African conflicts, noting, of course, that it is far longer that.

ANZAC became the time when our contribution became so large that it entered popular consciousness. Prior to that, there was the Boxer Rebellion when Australians served overseas as colonial forces rather than Australian forces and other things. It is an excellent motion, and it is an important time to remember it. The 100th anniversary is an important anniversary, and I commend the motion to the house.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:56): I rise in support of the motion. Gallipoli does not represent a military win, nor does ANZAC Day represent a single event or location. ANZAC Day is a collective of people who represent an ideal. News of the battle for Gallipoli had a significant impact on Australia as a nation, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war. During the 1920s, ANZAC Day became established as a national day of commemoration—and I checked that after the member for Finniss made his comments earlier.

For the 60,000 Australians who died during the war, in 1927, for the first time, every state observed some form of public holiday on ANZAC Day. By the mid-1930s, all the rituals we now associate with the day—dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, two-up games—were finally established as part of the ANZAC Day culture. With the coming of the Second World War, ANZAC Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in that war. In subsequent years, the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include Australians killed in all the military operations in which Australia has been involved.

ANZAC Day to me is a time to reflect on those who have died for us and our nation and for what we have today. I reflect on my grandfather, Clifford James Bell, who fought in the Second World War, in Egypt and Papua New Guinea, on the infamous Kokoda Track.

I was going to talk about the establishment of ANZAC Day, and I can point the house in the direction of a fantastic article by the Australian Army. If you put that into Google, it goes through a very good commentary on why 25 April is remembered as ANZAC Day. That article certainly contains a number of very good points. In closing, I pay my respects to the RSL members of Mount Gambier and Port MacDonnell and for the fabulous work they do in supporting each other and other members of our community in this ongoing way. With that, I commend the motion to the house.

Ms COOK (Fisher) (12:59): Thank you to everybody who has spoken to my motion today supporting ANZAC Day. What people have brought to the table are some very personal and very real stories that mean a lot to them and us as we have created such a beautiful rich history in Australia around a theory of mateship which is about looking after each other and supporting our friends. With that, I would like to commend the motion to the house and thank everyone.

Motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.

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