Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (09:59): I had the privilege of representing the Minister for Veterans at the Shrine of Remembrance at the ceremony which was held commemorating Vimy Day. Perhaps most Australians are not familiar with what happened at Vimy Ridge and why it was a significant moment in the First World War, but for our friends in Canada it is often held up as one of the moments when Canada matured and came to see itself as an independent nation rather than a British outpost. In this way Nick Rideout, the chair of the international committee for the Vimy Foundation, compared it to Australia’s experience at Gallipoli. Also in attendance was Dr Julie Sunday, Canada’s High Commissioner to Australia, as well as consular officials from a number of NATO countries, including the UK, the United States, France and many others.