Lest we forget: Albanese, Ley to mark sacrifice and hope on Remembrance Day
Hope that the world would never know war again has been severely tested, but we must hold onto it in honouring the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for peace.
Anthony Albanese’s message marking Remembrance Day says that hope and the memory of those who gave their lives forms a pledge handed from one generation to the next — “lest we forget”.
“The minute of silence we so solemnly observe is a silence that reaches out to us across 107 years, a noiseless echo of the hush that fell across Europe when the guns stopped in 1918,” the Prime Minister said.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Across mud and trench and barbed wire, it was a silence that belonged as much to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice as it did to the living. Amid the exhaustion, the elation and the grief, that silence held the hope the world would never know war again.
“As greatly as that hope has been tested, we hold on to it with the same determination we hold on to the memories of all who have fought for peace in our name.
“Every Remembrance Day, we carve this sacred moment out from the noise of the world to think of every Australian who has answered the call through the decades.”
It was also a moment to think of all those who serve now, he said.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said this year’s Remembrance Day held a special significance with the nation also marking 80 years since the end of World War II.
More than 103,000 Australians have lost their lives in service since Federation, and countless others returned home carrying the physical and emotional wounds of war.
Ms Ley noted their legacy of quiet strength, national pride and enduring sacrifice.
“Today we honour every Australian who has served in uniform, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who returned home forever changed, and those who continue to serve our nation with distinction,” she said.
“Eighty years on from the end of the Second World War, we remember a generation whose courage and sacrifice secured peace for millions. Their legacy lives on in the values of courage, duty and mateship that continue to define our Australian Defence Force today.”
A national Remembrance Day ceremony at the Australian War Memorial on Tuesday morning will include the traditional minute’s silence at 11am, marking the moment of the armistice for World War I.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn is expected to attend, along with senior politicians and diplomats.
New RSL national president Peter Tinley – who was appointed to the War Memorial’s council over the weekend – will read the ode and his predecessor Greg Melick will deliver the commemorative address honouring all Australians who have served and died in war, conflict, and peacekeeping operations.
Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh has travelled to the UK to represent Australia at Remembrance Day commemorations in London.
