Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

First, I acknowledge each person who has served our country with honour both in this place and the other. Recently I attended a local remembrance service at Victoria Park in St Marys, hosted by the St Marys RSL subbranch. I love going to these services in our community both to recognise those who have served and to pay respect to those who continue to serve, and also to meet up with people who have become true friends of mine since becoming the member for Lindsay and honouring them in our community.

This year, 2022, is significant for St Marys; it marks the centenary of the opening of the War Memorial bandstand in Victoria Park. The historical monument was built in 1922 to commemorate the tragic loss of so many from St Marys on the battlefields of Gallipoli and Europe in World War I. Others from St Marys and right across my community have died in subsequent conflicts, and likewise we remember them at the memorial.

Remembrance Day is a sacred day for our country, as we honour the sacrifice of our servicemen and women, and, importantly, their families. It's always wonderful to see our young cadets, whether Army, Navy or Air Force, come together and continue the respect of that service. I encourage all young people to be involved in the cadets. It's a time for us to remember the extraordinary deeds of thousands of Australian men and women who ensured our nation's security and the freedom that each and every one of us enjoys in this great country. We pay our respects and honour their legacy with immense pride and a great sense of gratitude.

Remembrance Day, for me, like for so many Australians, is a day full of emotion. It is a day for us to be thankful for what those who have served have done and continue to do by putting our country first during the most difficult times and enduring the best and worst of humanity. We are thankful to those have given their all in the defence of our freedoms and the values we stand for as Australians that we are obliged to protect and preserve for future generations.

On 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we commemorate the signing of the Armistice by King George V in 1918 that brought an end to the Great War, the First World War, from which Australian grew and identified itself as a nation. I remember that when I was a schoolchild every person would stop as the clock struck 11 am to remember the sacrifices of so many great and brave Australians. I vividly remember the sadness and the suddenness of that. It made a deep impression on me and, I'm sure, on every Australian as they traditionally did that every single year. I hope that continues in our schools.

Australia has a deep admiration, respect and affection for our veterans, and this is evidenced by the ever-growing attendance at remembrance ceremonies. On Anzac Day each year, and after COVID, we see the value of the coming together of people in community—the thousands of people who have been turning out recently to services across my community. It shows how important these services continue to be, to recognise the sacrifice of so many Australians to keep our country free. I also acknowledge all the volunteers who provide service to our veterans. I honour our great service men and women and thank them for what they have given and continue to give our country.

In that, it is so important that we recognise those who were lost in World War I. That program that identified and marked the graves of over 1,000 men and women who served in World War I is extremely important when you think about the younger generations coming through and the importance of remembering. I think this is a very just program that should continue at the level of funding that was committed to by the coalition when we were in government and that the Labor Party promised to match should they be in government. So I urge the government to continue that important funding that we committed to.

Finally, in closing, I would like to thank our local veterans in my community, including those at St Marys RSL and Penrith RSL, for all the work they do and for all the work they have done in serving our nation. For those we have lost: lest we forget.

See this speech in context