John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to speak about the success of the Australian government's Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program in my electorate of Calare, and I acknowledge that the previous government obviously had a hand in that as well. We have been lucky enough to distribute nearly $125,000 to nearly 20 projects around Calare, and it has been fantastic that we have been able to do it on the villages, not just the big towns. As somebody who is very passionate about Anzac Day and about where Australian soldiers, airmen and sailors have served around the world, I believe these projects are an absolutely incredible way to commemorate 100 years since the landing in Gallipoli.

Over the past few weeks, I have been visiting the successful RSLs, clubs and organisations to hear about their projects and see how they have been done. What has pleased me most has been the wide array of events, projects and things they have planned to make Anzac Day in 2015 one to remember. It should be one that young people today will still be talking about in 50 years time as they remember what happened when we commemorated the Centenary of Anzac.

For example, on Thursday last week I visited Lithgow, where two projects were approved. Lithgow Public School received nearly $5,000 for the restoration of their gates, which were a memorial particularly to 1915. Also, as a memorial, it is where they start their Anzac march in Lithgow every year. Very quickly, it was amazing. They rang up a stonemason company in Sydney, and the owner of that said, 'My father's in Lithgow; he'll probably fix it for you.' This guy, who was 80 years old, could not wait to come down and use a lifetime skill to restore the gates of Lithgow Public School. I was lucky enough to be joined by Principal Vicki O'Rourke and the school's P&C committee to view these gates, and they were absolutely magnificent. Not only will they provide the perfect backdrop for Anzac Day celebrations this year; they will provide a lasting legacy in Lithgow for many, many years to come. Lithgow also has Lithgow City Band. They are doing a tribute in their own way, with the local people, to our Anzac heroes.

On Friday I went to Blayney. The Blayney RSL Memorial Restoration Committee successfully applied for $10,000 to restore their memorial, which they have really brought to light. It is something I have seen for years, but I had never believed it could look as good and as memorial-like as it does now.

Earlier on I mentioned that there has been a wide range of projects approved in Calare, and a lot of them are unique. On Tuesday last week I was at Forbes, at their RSL club sub-branch. They had two separate projects approved. They received $2,000 to hold a Spirit of Anzac art competition, open not just to people in Forbes but to people right around the Central West, to show the memories of people involved and what people have done, particularly in the world wars—all the places where our soldiers, airmen and seamen have served overseas. Forbes also received $7,000 to create an interactive Gallipoli diary—an iBook. This is an amazing thing: as they do these days, you can read your book on an iPad. People will be able to read a most incredible diary by a local who went to Gallipoli and actually managed to come back. So that is just one of those amazing things that people in my electorate have been able to get the funding to do.

Obviously we could talk about this all day—or, more correctly, all night. There are plenty of war memorial upgrades, plaques and honour walls. Every project is different, but there is no difference in importance. I think the Dawn Service is the most important morning of the year.