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

Last week a constituent of mine asked me to deliver a collection of war memorabilia to the Australian War Memorial to contribute to its extensive collection. These items from World War I provide a unique insight into just one life that contributed to the war effort. I am pleased to say that I will be taking these items to the Australian War Memorial during the next sitting week so that they can be preserved and can contribute to our collective national history of the service that so many Australians gave during wartime.

With the Centenary of ANZAC approaching, I urge all Australians to look into their ancestry and discover, learn and celebrate our collective national history. I also encourage all Australians to consider donating their war memorabilia to the Australian War Memorial. Now is the perfect time to learn about our history and teach our children and grandchildren about our shared successes and, of course, shared losses. Many families have wartime memorabilia that has been passed down from generation to generation. This is important.

During the lead-up to the Centenary of ANZAC I will be highlighting local stories of relatives of families in Hasluck who have contributed to the war effort. I will be doing this through the local media in Hasluck and through my social networks, with the aim of compiling a collection of stories that can commemorate the centenary in a very small but local and personal way.