Get Involved - Parliament

Remembrance Day

Published on: November 2020

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-114281

Remembrance Day

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (15:51):

:13 On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the guns on the Western Front fell silent after four years of horrific conflict. Eleven November, Remembrance Day, marks the end of the First World War—a conflict that spanned multiple fronts and theatres and claimed the lives of almost 21 million people worldwide. With almost nine million lives lost in military action, the carnage and horror experienced by soldiers at the front was all too real. Remembrance Day is a time when we come together to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We wear a red poppy, which has become the enduring symbol of the First World War, and gather together at remembrance services across the State and the country.

EmdenSydney

During this difficult year it is heartening to see that sub-branches and councils across the State and in my own community have been given the green light to hold services, albeit with limited numbers and COVID-safe controls. Australia's involvement in the First World War began when Britain and Germany went to war on 4 August 1914. The outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many places, with great enthusiasm. Australia's first significant action of the war took place on 9 November 1914. The Royal Australian Navy made a major contribution, with the destruction of the German raider SMS by HMAS . While the sinking was seen as the first naval victory by a very young Royal Australian Navy, it also introduced the service to the dangers and rigours of naval warfare and helped establish the traditions, camaraderie and great sense of duty that remain true to this day.

Sydney

To commemorate this victory, the HMAS Sydney Association hosts a memorial service in my electorate at Bradleys Head Reserve, where the memorial mast stands. I acknowledge association president Barry Brooks and secretary Brian Yeo for their continued commitment to the preservation and memory of HMAS . I will join them next week for the commemoration. For most Australians, the Gallipoli campaign is where the Anzac legend was forged in the horror of the Dardanelles. On 25 April 1915 members of the Australian Imperial Force landed at Gallipoli alongside Allied forces from New Zealand, Britain and France. The Gallipoli campaign ended with hundreds of thousands of casualties, including over 8,000 Australian deaths. Throughout 1916 and 1917 losses on the Western Front were heavy and the gains small. In 1918 Australian forces were instrumental during the battle of Hamel, leading to a string of decisive advances on the Western Front until Germany surrendered on 11 November 1918.

For Australia, the First World War remains the costliest conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. Australian women also volunteered for service in auxiliary roles as cooks, nurses, drivers, interpreters, munitions workers and farm workers. Australian nurses served in Egypt, France, Greece and India. The conditions were often trying and close to the front, where they were exposed to shelling and aerial bombardment as well as outbreaks of disease.

WaterhenIn Flanders Fields

When the war ended, thousands of ex-service men and women, many disabled with physical or emotional wounds, had to be reintegrated into a society keen to consign the war to the past. This year I joined the North Sydney RSL Sub‑Branch for its Remembrance Day service at the North Sydney War Memorial. I thank the president, Alex Wilson, and the committee for arranging a service that was centred on tradition and respect. I acknowledge the servicemen of HMAS who stood guard as the catafalque party throughout the service, Lieutenant Commander Alan Parton for his moving words of remembrance and the Mayor of North Sydney Council, Jilly Gibson, for reading the poem . I acknowledge the students from North Sydney Demonstration School, Anzac Park Public School, North Sydney Girls High School, North Sydney Boys High School, Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, Marist College North Shore and St Mary's Catholic Primary School who laid wreaths as tributes.

I acknowledge the 1st North Sydney Scout Group, which laid a wreath, and I thank the members of the Clan Macleod Pipe Band of Sydney for their rousing contribution. I acknowledge the Mosman RSL Sub‑Branch and president Peter Watson for hosting a service at Mosman War Memorial and rededicating it with the addition of names from the Mosman area. My special thanks goes to Councillor Roy Bendall of Mosman Council, who laid a wreath on my behalf at that service. I acknowledge all the members of my local sub‑branches from Mosman, Kirribilli and North Sydney. Whether young or old, they are doing everything they can to keep our memories alive and to learn from the issues of the past. I also thank all of our service men and women currently serving at home and abroad, in conflicts and in peace, for their continued service to our country. Lest we forget.