Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (17:00): I move:
That this House:
(1)On Remembrance Day, honours and acknowledges the brave Australians who have served and sacrificed in defence of our freedoms.
(2)Recognises that over 100 years ago our diggers formed the Anzac spirit and continues to reflect on the immense courage, endurance and unity shown by those who fought across land, sea and air, and by those who supported the war effort at home.
(3)Expresses our deepest gratitude to all veterans, their families and current serving members of the Defence Force.
It is a great privilege to move this motion today. I acknowledge all of my fellow veterans who serve in this place: the member for Tamworth, my friend the member for Prospect, the member for Auburn and other colleagues who are not in the Chamber as yet. Most importantly, I acknowledge the 416,809 men who served in World War I. I also acknowledge all of their families. Many of the men had wives, partners or girlfriends who stayed at home and looked after everything.
There is a little town called Cassilis as you head down the Golden Highway, as the Temporary Speaker would know. Many members know of my fondness for rural and regional New South Wales, and for road trips. I stopped in at Cassilis many years ago, and the gates on the left-hand side recorded the population of Cassilis at that time. It was something like 180 people. It then listed the men who served in World War I. There were around 90, so half the town were men who served in World War I. That meant that the women—their wives and partners—were left to keep the farms going and, ultimately, to keep country going. That must be forever acknowledged. It was overlooked for a considerable amount of time, but I am delighted that today we do not overlook it. I acknowledge the more than 60,000 who were killed in action, but I also acknowledge the others who were affected by the war, suffering upon their return from gas and the other injuries that haunted the veterans of the Great War. More than 156,000 were wounded in action, and those wounds continued after they came home.
As I talk about rural and regional New South Wales, I reflect upon and advise the House of two recruit marches, the Kangaroo March and the Coo-ee March. The Coo-ee March was the first recruiting march organised in New South Wales, during 1915. It went through Gilgandra, Balladoran, Eumungerie, Mogriguy, Dubbo, Wongarbon, Geurie, Wellington, Dripstone, Mumbil, Stuart Town and many other places, up through Springwood and Penrith to Ashfield, and ending in Sydney. Gilgandra local plumber and rifle club member William T. Hitchen—Captain Bill, as he was fondly known—proposed a march from Gilgandra to Sydney. At every town, there would be a demonstration to secure more recruits. For those who are not veterans or are not otherwise aware, a route march is a very quick march, heavily laden. Some of us in this place have had the true privilege of doing it many times through the grunt factory. The State recruiting board and the Department of Defence were not willing to support the scheme, so at least 50 young men from Gilgandra made their own way to Sydney over those months to enlist.
I also reflect on the Kangaroo March. It started in Wagga and went up through Junee, the Southern Highlands and into Campbelltown. The marchers gathered at my favourite place, in Mawson Park, and then out to Waminda Oval. It was the longest recruiting march, at 350 miles. Reflecting on those recruiting marches, I believe they represent the Australian commitment to the war effort. I ask my colleagues to bear in mind that nearly 500,000 Australian soldiers served in the Great War, while the Australian population was just over 4.5 million people. Comparatively, that is a considerably high number and displays the great Australian spirit. It is why we refer to the great Anzac spirit. I was reading a book from my library earlier named Bean's Gallipoli, edited by Kevin Fewster. I quote an excerpt from chapter 4:
By 8 a.m. on 25 April, 8000 Australian troops had landed, but it was clear that the ferrying operations and landings had not gone as planned. The first boats had neither landed at the intended location nor in the planned order. Generations of historians, including Bean, attributed this mix-up to strong currents pushing the boats north of the intended landing site.
The intended landing site was Suvla Bay. On a more personal note, I also took the time to reflect on some letters sent back home. In a letter to his daughter Grace sent from Egypt by Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, which is held at the National Library of Australia, Paterson shares his excitement at receiving his wife's letter and drawings, as well as his disappointment at missing another Christmas. He wrote:
We are getting near Christmas Day again which will be the third Christmas I have spent away from the family, and it is a very dismal feeling to have Christmas coming on with no friends or relations to share it with.
That is one of many letters. To conclude, they will not grow old, as we grow old. We should remember them. We will remember them. I know that every Australian holds today as a sacred day in our calendar. It is a day of pride, a day to remember and a day that defines us as Australians, to the very fabric of the spirit of who we are. We will remember them. Lest we forget.
