Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to talk about the Guildford Association Anzac Centennial home poppy plaque presentation, held in the Guildford Town Hall on Saturday, 29 August. There was a great turnout, and it was a great event. Guildford is a significant historical site, as it was Western Australia's port in the early years of the new colony. More importantly, during World War I it played a key role in supporting soldiers from the different battalions and, in particular, the 10th Light Horse.

Mrs Barbara Dundas, who has been spearheading this project, has commented on the strong sense of community ownership of the poppy plaque project, which has an increasing number of residents wanting to be involved. On the night, residents were given a beautiful poppy plaque with the name of the Anzac who had resided in their property, and a moving history of each veteran was read out for a very large audience. There has been overwhelming community support for the project, with well over 90 plaques being presented.

The poppy plaques are the first stage of the project. The second stage of the project is a detailed website with the military history of each soldier, compiled over the last two years, and a walking trail linking the history, the servicemen and the homes together. The community have come together to acknowledge and celebrate all those Anzacs who lived, trained and resided in the area and who spent time living in those homes, being billeted, before they took their ships overseas to Gallipoli. It is a great initiative, and I compliment Barbara Dundas and the Guildford Association.