ANZAC DAY 2024
Anzac Day - remembering the sacrifice , lest we forget with Susan Templeman MP
Each year Anzac Day is a time we come together , pause and commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli .
The 25th of April has become a day for Australians to remember the service and sacrifice of service men and women across all conflicts and peacekeeping efforts .
As the Member for Macquarie , it ’ s an honour to represent more than 7,700 current and former service personnel and their families who call the Hawkesbury home . It ’ s also a profound responsibility and I ’ m proud that the health and wellbeing of veterans and service personnel is so important to our community and our government .
We know that honouring veterans and service personnel does not end on the 25th of April , and across the Hawkesbury there are multiple projects underway to honour the history of the Armed Forces in the Hawkesbury and help care for the wellbeing of service personnel , veterans and their families .
Several previously dilapidated buildings in Hawkesbury ’ s Scheyville National Park are being transformed into a key community and veteran ’ s centre by Hunter Anzac Memorial Limited . Having been used as an Officer Training Unit during the Vietnam War , a site for the Dreadnought Trust ’ s training scheme and an immigration hostel , I am enjoying watching the transformation take place thanks to a skilled local building team and involvement from local community members .
In another project , the RSL and RSL LifeCare are developing a Veterans ’ and Families Hub network on behalf of the Australian Government , spanning from the Hawkesbury to South West Sydney to suit the needs of the local veteran community . This unique network will support veterans , serving personnel and their families living in our community .
It ’ s fantastic to see so many organisations join with RSL LifeCare – including Legacy , Invictus , the Defence and Veterans Legal Service , Disaster Relief Australia , Veteran Gaming Australia and many others , coming together to provide
A view looking aft of lifeboat carrying unidentified men of the Australian 1st Divisional Signal Company as they are towed towards Anzac Cove on the day of the landing . Accession Number : A02781 .
the best possible services and support to local veterans .
So when I stand at Anzac services across the electorate - in schools , community centres and war memorials - remembering the sacrifices of those who fell and those who survived , I will also be reminded of the responsibility I have to work hard always to honour the lives and legacies of those first Anzacs and of every one of the former and current service personnel I represent . Lest we forget .
22 ISSUE 167 // APRIL 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT