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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-04-30 Daily Xml
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ANZAC Day Commemoration Services

Mr DULUK (Waite) (15:34): Last Saturday, we commemorated one of our most important national occasions, and of course that is ANZAC Day. Whilst we stood apart, all Australians stood together in spirit to honour our ANZACs and thank them and those who have served and continue to serve and, indeed, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation. With our candles, torches and iPhones at the end of our driveways and by laying wreaths at memorials, we paused to remember the dedication, courage and mateship of those soldiers who took part in the first major military campaign of Australian forces in World War I—and that was the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915.

Sadly, over 8,000 Australians lost their lives on the beaches of Gallipoli. The bravery and selfless actions of these soldiers and those of their fellow diggers who fought gallantly for our freedoms left Australia with a legacy that has helped forge our identity as a nation, a nation that recognises this week another significant event—that is, the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's Endeavour making landfall in Botany Bay in 1770.

This ANZAC Day, I was very humbled and fortunate to have the opportunity to hear firsthand the stories of local veterans from my community. With the valuable skills and help of Mr Lee Norman, we were able to produce a video featuring our veterans' stories and detailing how significant ANZAC Day commemorations are to them. My heartfelt thanks go to the veterans who took the time to speak to me, including Major Anthony Mogridge, retired; Reverend Brenton Daulby OAM; Bruce Townsend, who is fighting fit in his 90s; David Blyth; Joan Lorraine; and Bob Killoran, President of the Blackwood RSL.

Like so many towns and communities across Australia, many young men from the electorate of Waite were involved in the Gallipoli landings, and it is so important that we remember them and honour their sacrifice every year. As we commemorated the first ANZACs, we also remember and thank all Australians who served, fought and died in the many wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations that Australia has been involved in. We reflect on the efforts and sacrifices made by our current service personnel, all those overseas and on the home front who to continue to serve our nation, to protect us and keep us safe.

I would sincerely like to thank the RSL and service clubs in my electorate—namely, the Blackwood RSL and its president, Bob Killoran; the Mitcham RSL and its president, Kym Just; and the RAAF Association Mitcham Branch and its president, Dr Robert Black—for their service to the community and the vital work they do supporting our veterans, especially in this time of social distancing and, for many veterans, social isolation.

While our ANZAC Day ceremonies were different this year, the importance to pause, reflect and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms remained. I was able to lay wreaths at my local monuments at the Blackwood Soldiers Memorial, the Mitcham Memorial Gardens and the Coromandel Valley monument. Thank you to John Halsey, who held the lantern at dawn at the Upper Sturt Soldiers Memorial Hall, and thank you to Luke Sincock for his live stream from the Blackwood Memorial.

It was also wonderful to see so many photos of South Australians lighting up their dawn, playing trumpets in their driveways and finding their own unique way of commemorating the day. In a way, it was a great exercise in asking Australians to stop and really think about what ANZAC Day means to them and how best they can commemorate it. Without the usual dawn service, the parade and the afternoon football, it was left up to the individual to make their own personal reflection on our nation's service men and women.

I have to say that I believe our state should be proud of the many ways that we found to honour our ANZACs. I also thank David Matthews, who read the ode at the state memorial service on North Terrace this year. David is a constituent of mine and the son of Lionel Matthews, who was beheaded by the Japanese at Sandakan, which is a truly amazing story, and an amazing man was Lionel Matthews. I would like to end my contribution by reciting from For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon, a few of the lesser known stanzas that stand alongside the ode we hear each ANZAC Day:

But where our desires and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night.

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

Lest we forget.

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