Thousands huddled together at Hobart’s Cenotaph to pay respect to veterans on Anzac Day
The Tasmanian Governor has paid tribute to Aboriginal Tasmanians who fought in wars in a powerful speech which focused on indigenous people who “have not always been … sufficiently acknowledged”.
Tasmania
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UPDATED: THE Tasmanian Governor has paid tribute to Aboriginal Tasmanians who fought in wars in a powerful speech which focused on indigenous people who “have not always been … sufficiently acknowledged”.
In the keynote address to thousands attending the Anzac commemorative service at the Hobart Cenotaph, Professor Kate Warner expressed empathy towards indigenous Tasmanians who she said had previously been excluded from Anzac Day traditions.
“I acknowledge the contemporary Aboriginal Tasmanian community who have survived invasion and dispossession and continue to maintain their identity, culture and indigenous rights,” she said.
“The centenary of Anzac Day with its particular focus on World War I provided an opportunity to consider more broadly the effects of war and the contributions and suffering of those who have not always been specifically and sufficiently acknowledged.
“The Anzac tradition is one from which our country’s indigenous people have felt excluded.”
She asked: “How was it that indigenous Australians served in our armed services in World War I but at the same time were ineligible to vote?
“While they were treated equally with white Australians when at war, they came back from the war with much the same discrimination as before it.
“For example, many were barred from Returned and Service League clubs, except on Anzac Day and many were not given the right to vote for another 17 years.”
Earlier in the day, thousands huddled in the biting wind for the dawn service at the Hobart Cenotaph.
Hobart College student Amy Rahmanovic, asked the dawn service crowd to remember not just veterans, but the families who were impacted.
“As we look back at our past with tears in our eyes and feelings of gratitude and pride in our hearts we must never forget our responsibility as the emerging generations,” Ms Rahmanovic said.
SEE THE DAWN SERVICE PHOTO GALLERY
The dawn service was followed by the Gunfire Breakfast and later the parade, which in Hobart took traffic off the main roads for the annual march to the Cenotaph.
Among the veterans and members of the Kingston Probus branch was Vietnam veteran Roelf de Vries who has driven the jeep in the parade for many years.
“Anzac Day means to me a real lot, remembering all the folks that have served before us, those who haven’t returned and those who have. It’s a very important national day for all of us,” Mr de Vries said.
The march ended by the wayside of the new Remembrance Bridge, where nearby Shelley Cuthbert and her two daughters awaited the main commemorative service.
Ms Cuthbert joined the Army Reserves in 2002 and has now served for 19 years. She and her two daughters were at the main commemorative service today.
“Anzac Day is a matter of reflection. To reflect on those who have been serving overseas and to reflect on fallen soldiers. It’s a day of pride for myself as well,” Ms Cuthbert said.
EARLIER: THOUSANDS of Tasmanians have rugged up in bitterly cold conditions to gather at Anzac Day services across the state this morning.
Hobart’s Cenotaph was the focal point for the city’s service where thousands once again huddled to solemnly remember those who have served and continue to serve in conflicts past and present.
One of the speeches of the morning was by Hobart College student Amy Rahmanovic, who in her words of respect conveyed an empathy for not just veterans, but the families who were impacted.
“As we look back at our past with tears in our eyes and feelings of gratitude and pride in our hearts we must never forget our responsibility as the emerging generations,” Ms Rahmanovic said.
Meanwhile, in Tasmania’s North West, hundreds of early risers gathered around Ulverstone’s impressive Shrine of Remembrance at 6am for the dawn service.
In one of the biggest turnouts in many years, a single drum beat broke the dawn silence in what was the 65th service at the clock tower.
The shrine, arguably the most impressive war memorial in Tasmania, is built over the original World War One monument which was unveiled on Anzac Day 1924.
Work on the new tower began in 1953 and completed the year after.
Dawn services were held across the region, with good turnouts also seen in Burnie and Devonport and at smaller services in remote towns such as Waratah and Wilmot.
Several hundred people marked Anzac Day at a dawn service at Kingston Beach, which was attended by Premier Will Hodgman.
Last night’s blustery conditions had largely fallen away by the time New Norfolk’s dawn service got under way.
Organised by the New Norfolk RSL Sub-Branch and the Derwent Valley Council, the service once again attracted a crowd of several hundred.
Before setting off from the local RSL Club, parade marshal Dale Britten spoke briefly about the posthumous awarding of the Distinguished Service Medal to the late New Norfolk veteran Ron Williams in November last year.
Mr Williams operated a well-known menswear business in New Norfolk but died in 1977, not knowing that his bravery in action in World War II had been recommended for one of the British Empire’s highest military honours.
At the New Norfolk Cenotaph, the Reverend Celia Hooker led the prayers and reflected on the Anzac spirit, which she described as perseverance and courage in the face of failure and despair.
“The cost of war and peacekeeping is overwheling,” Mrs Hooker said.
“Today is indeed a day to honour all those people who served and to thank them for their willingness and bravery. To those of you who gave your young years and your innocence and some of your larrikinism for others... thank you,” she said.
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