Source : Perth Now news
A historic scarlet poppy wreath first laid more than nine decades ago will take centre stage in Canberra this Remembrance Day as the nation marks the institution’s 85th anniversary.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn will carry out the sacred duty at Wednesday’s national ceremony, laying the 1934 wreath originally placed by the Duke of Gloucester seven years before the memorial officially opened its doors.
The poignant gesture anchors a landmark ceremony that will see Australians pause at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to honour all who have served and fallen.
Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson said Remembrance Day serves as a vital moment of national reflection.
“We need to acknowledge the horrendous nature of war and what we ask our men and women to do,” Mr Anderson said.
“The purpose of the AWM was always to be a memorial, archive and museum while reminding people to say, ‘never again to war’—just as the then Governor-General Lord Gowrie said at the opening in 1941.”
When the Memorial opened on Armistice Day in 1941, the nation was already engulfed in a second global conflict.
Though originally designed solely to commemorate those lost in the First World War, the site rapidly evolved.
AWM Senior Historian Craig Tibbitts noted that as Australia’s military involvement expanded over the decades, the scope of both the memorial and the day itself adapted to commemorate contemporary veterans from operations in East Timor, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Among the nearly two million objects preserved within the National Collection sits another rare relic from the 1941 opening, a fragile cloth poppy worn by First World War veteran Stanley Mason on the day the doors first opened.
Military, Heraldry and Technology Senior Curator Shane Casey said preserving such items ensures future generations remain connected to the tradition of remembrance.
“These two items — a poppy from the official opening and the AWM’s oldest wreath — show the continuity of tradition in expressing commemoration,” Mr Casey said.
The Remembrance Day national ceremony will take place on the AWM parade ground on Wednesday from 10.45am.
