Thursday, 4 May 2023

Anzac Day

Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (09:46): On Anzac Day I was privileged to attend the Anzac Day footy event at Crown Palladium, representing the TPI association as a guest of the Essendonians, which makes sense given the game that day was Essendon versus Collingwood. I subsequently went to the match at the MCG, which Collingwood ultimately won; we cannot have them all. Even as someone not into football I know about Collingwood.

The presenters at the event were varied, but what has stuck with me was the story of Russell Morris, the singer, whose father endured the Sandakan death march. Russell’s dad died when Russell was two, so he never got to know him in person. It also brings me to think of my great-grandfather Richard Glanville Knight, who endured the battle for Broodseinde Ridge in early October 1917 and was awarded the military medal for his actions on those days. Anzac Day may seem like a holiday for some – a reason to go to the footy or to have a barbecue – but for others it is a time to reflect on what they did and on others who went before them. I will be forever grateful for people like Russell Morris’s father and my great-grandfather and for all those who fought for our country. Lest we forget.