Thursday, 2 May 2024

Anzac Day

Vicki WARD (Eltham – Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Employment) (09:59): I would like to rise to congratulate and thank my local RSLs for their amazing work over the Anzac Day ceremony season. It was very moving to listen to Jules ‘Gill’ Aussems, who shared his story at the Eltham dawn service, being a survivor of the tragic HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager collision, which sliced HMAS Voyager in half. I thank him for his honest words regarding this terrible night on 10 February 1964 that went so horribly wrong. Eighty-two men died in this accident, the worst peacetime loss of life in our nation’s history.

Thank you to Ijsbrand Shepherd from Eltham College for his excellent playing of the Reveille and Last Post. I also want to express my gratitude to the many schools who were involved in both the dawn and family services at Petrie Park, Montmorency. Thank you to students Daneen Halley; Olivia Bhatia; Bethany Riggs; Molly Brennin; Luvinda Fandert; Mietta Franzmann; Lucy Moxon; Lia Reiger Morrice; Caelan Robertson; Josh Smith; Solveig Yen; Ruby Smith; Zahra Currie; Olivia Revell; Abbie Tomkins; Keegan Douglass; Nathan Campbell, who read They Will Live On by Eltham High’s Nova-Rae Lappin Torrellas; Remy Brent and Charlie Clarke. Your continued involvement in these services makes them such valued community commemoration.

Thank you to Jean Verso, who read a letter titled ‘Three local servicemen – mateship, marriage and loss in WWI’ at the Kangaroo Ground service, which shared the moving stories of survivors of battles of Gallipoli. None of these important commemoration ceremonies happen without the hard work of our RSLs and our community groups. I would like to commend the work of Montmorency Eltham RSL, Diamond Creek RSL and Friends of Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park. (Time expired)