Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I want to commend the efforts of everyone who helped make the re-enactment of the 1915 troop train possible.    It was a significant project for my electorate and took 18 months to complete and organise. It allowed people to experience the steps taken by young Australians who travelled across western Queensland to enlist in World War I. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Michael Ronaldson, called the troop train re-enactment the pre-eminent event occurring on Australian soil to honour the 100 years of the Anzac spirit, 1915 to 2015. Indeed it was a brilliant and ambitious undertaking. The Anzacs deserve nothing less. We transported 250 passengers, plus many schoolchildren, from Winton to Brisbane, more than 1,500 kilometres. The feedback was very positive. The troop train also had economic benefits for each electorate it passed through, not just Flynn but also Maranoa, Capricornia and Wide Bay. We estimate that we helped provide an economic boost of around $65,000 for each town we stopped in. The journey was both spiritual and enlightening for all, and because of this I have already been approached by people who want to see another journey in four years time for the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice, and again for the 125th anniversary of Anzac. This was a historic event and I was very pleased to be associated with such an event.