Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (09:46): I rise today on the powerful services that were held across the Hawthorn electorate to commemorate this year’s Anzac Day, 109 ‍years on from the landings at Anzac Cove. These dawn services took place at the cenotaphs of Camberwell, Surrey Hills and Hawthorn in honour of our fallen. I thank the organisers at the Camberwell and Hawthorn RSLs as well as the Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Progress Association. In the weeks leading up to Anzac Day, I attended services and events held by community groups across the Hawthorn electorate and further afield. I would like to make special mention of the Wattle Park Anzac service that was held on Sunday 21 April. We are all grateful and indebted to those men and women in our armed forces who put themselves in harm’s way, many who sadly paid the ultimate price to safeguard our democratic freedoms. Can I place on record our ongoing gratitude for those men and women who continue to serve in our name in various parts of the world in the cause of peace and democracy and the promise of a brighter future for many who still struggle to achieve their own freedoms. Commemorating the fallen as we do each year is an important way for all of us to reflect on our nation’s proud history and the sacrifices made by those who came before us. Lest we forget.