Each year on Anzac Day we come together to pay solemn tribute to the courage, mateship, and sacrifice of those who have served our country in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions.
We remember the Gallipoli landing where more than 8000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers lost their lives, but where Anzac resilience forged a legacy which still resonates today, more than a century later.
Each year we are challenged to reflect anew on the cost of freedom, and the values for which our nation and its servicemen and women have paid so great a price.
Here in Geelong, the Peace Memorial in Johnstone Park stands as a proud testament to our predecessors’ spirit of service and love for their country. It bears the names of 3500 local heroes, including many who fought at Gallipoli.
This Anzac Day, I will attend events at Terang, Camperdown and Noorat. I hope you too may be able to take part this year.
Those who do know it is not a duty or an obligation, but a rewarding experience, a welcome opportunity to step back from the minutiae of our everyday lives and to reflect, with gratitude, on the sacrifice others have made for our enduring benefit.
