Get Involved - Parliament

Anzac Day

Published on: June 2023

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-131927

Anzac Day

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (20:07:32):

I speak about the anniversary of Anzac Day. On Anzac Day every year we come together to honour the service and sacrifice of all veterans. Anzac Day is a time for Australians to recognise the more then 1.5 million service men and women who served our country in all conflicts, wars, peacekeeping and peacemaking operations. It is also time to remember the 103,000 Australians who sacrificed their lives in our country's name. This year marks the 108th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign and it was the first major military action that Australia and New Zealand forces fought during the First World War.

During the eight months of that campaign in Gallipoli the Anzac spirit was forged in the horror and carnage that they faced. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers died in that campaign. After Gallipoli the Australian Imperial Force was reorganised and expanded from two to five infantry divisions, all of which were progressively transferred to France, beginning in March 1916. The Light Horse regiments that had served as additional infantry during the Gallipoli campaign remained in the Middle East, where they fought a mobile war against the Ottoman Empire in conditions completely different from the mud and stagnation faced on the Western Front.

SydneyEmden

Australians also served at sea and in the air. The Royal Australian Navy, under the command of the British Royal Navy, made a significant contribution early in the war when HMAS , whose mast now resides at Bradleys Head in Mosman as a memorial, destroyed the German raider SMS in November 1914. For us, the First World War remains the costliest conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, more than 400,000 men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed or taken prisoner. Australian women volunteered for service in auxiliary roles as cooks, nurses, drivers, interpreters, munitions workers and farm workers. Our Australian nurses served in Egypt, France, Greece and India, often in trying conditions or close to the front, where they were exposed to shelling, aerial bombardment as well as significant outbreaks of disease.

Anzac has come to stand for the positive qualities that Australians have shown in war. Those qualities are generally accepted to include endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour and mateship. The qualities became known among our allies and enemies alike, as was described in the diary of Sydney B. Young of Campsie where he wrote:

An American who could speak German asked a German prisoner did he think they were winning the war. He replied: 'Yes, God is with us.' The American replied: 'That is nothing, the Australians are with us.'

I was fortunate enough to deliver the Anzac address at the Cremorne Synagogue Anzac service on the Saturday before Anzac Day. I thank Rabbi Chaim Koncepolski, the board of management and the entire shul for welcoming me to do this. They hold an Anzac service every year, and it was particularly significant this year because the service was held on the Shabbat. They had a wonderful turnout of people, recognising the joint history of the struggle, sacrifice and fight for freedom that the Jewish peoples and Australian people share.

Waterhen

I recognise all of our local RSL sub-branches that held services across our community in recognition of Anzac Day—Mosman RSL Sub-Branch, Kirribilli RSL Sub-Branch and North Sydney RSL Sub‑Branch—as well as the Neutral Bay Club, which hold an 11.00 a.m. service every year on Anzac Day. This year I joined many thousands of local residents at North Sydney War Memorial for the dawn service hosted by the North Sydney RSL Sub-Branch. It was a moving service, as always, and I thank the committee members for all their work in organising it. I thank, in particular, Alex Wilson, Chris Greatrex and Trent Zimmerman from the North Sydney RSL Sub‑Branch; Stuart Warren, Scout Leader 1st North Sydney Scout Group; Commander Fiona Eggins, who is the commanding officer of HMAS in Waverton; Captain Philipa Hay, who is the commander of the Australian Amphibious Task Force; maritime spiritual wellbeing officers Stephen Varney and Trent Bowen; and Major Jason Li from the Australian Army Reserve.

I thank all the schools that participated in laying a wreath or a tribute. It is so important that these younger generations are involved and turn out en masse with their teachers, staff and families. I thank and recognise Loreto Kirribilli, Anzac Park Public School, Neutral Bay Public School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School, North Sydney Demonstration School, Shore, Wenona, Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, Cammeraygal High School and Marist Catholic College North Shore. The call to service has always been answered, and we remember and pay tribute to all those who have served in conflicts around the world. Let us never forget the sacrifices that have been made, and let us always remember the bravery and courage of those who fought for our country and fought for us. Lest we forget.