Report to Government

Hands of Friendship

3.17Hands of Friendship is a symbolic gesture where a small number of representatives from former adversaries, such as current serving members of the respective defence forces, descendants of veterans and young people, meet and exchange gifts or items of symbolic importance and lay wreaths. The Board considers that a suitable Hands of Friendship component for either the 2015 Anzac Day Lone Pine service or the 2015 Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli, should be held. It may also be appropriate in the years leading up to 2015 that a modest symbolic element in one or more of the Gallipoli Anzac Day services be undertaken; for example, a single representative from each of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey could jointly lay a single wreath.

Calendar of domestic and international commemorative services and events

3.18The Anzac Centenary commemorative program needs to be planned so that major events and initiatives are implemented to a timetable that coincides, as far as possible, with the original events that are being commemorated. For some events, timetabling needs to have significant historical precision; for example, commemorating the first convoy’s assembly off Albany on and around 1 November 2014. For others, the Board considers it would be valuable to nominate a longer period as the focus for commemorative and educative events. For example, nominating 2018 as ‘The Road to Armistice and Return’. Other periods could focus on a particular type of service that draws together both the First World War and a Century of Service. For example, ‘Women at War’ or ‘Indigenous Australians’.

3.19It is understood that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Education Portal will provide links to information on significant anniversaries and historical sources of community interest throughout the Anzac Centenary period. There will also be provision for the portal to link to, and gather information on, events happening at a national, state and local level during the commemorative period.

3.20Commemorative events and initiatives relating to the First World War could be broadly scheduled during the Centenary as follows:

• 
  2014: Outbreak of war/Rabaul/Albany/Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  
• 
  2015: Gallipoli
  
• 
  2016: Western Front/the Somme
  
• 
  2017: Western Front/Ypres, Sinai/Palestine
  
• 
  2018: ‘The Road to Armistice and Return’.
  

3.21Themes should also be identified for the national Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services at the Australian War Memorial throughout the Centenary period. The following themes could be considered:

• 
  2014: Remembrance Day—New Guinea Campaign, Albany, HMAS Sydney/SMS Emden
  
• 
  2015: Anzac Day and Remembrance Day—Gallipoli
  
• 
  2016: Anzac Day—the Somme and Fromelles
  
• 
  2016: Remembrance Day—the Somme and Pozieres
  
• 
  2017: Anzac Day—Bullecourt
  
• 
  2017: Remembrance Day—Ypres
  
• 
  2018: Anzac Day—Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel
  
• 
  2018: Remembrance Day—Armistice and 100 Days.
  

3.22Recognised national commemorative themes could apply also to other domestic commemorative services and also to international services that Australia manages. Events and initiatives relating to a Century of Service could also be broadly themed.

3.23The Board considers that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs may be well placed to develop and make public, as early as practicable for each successive year of the Centenary, annual calendars of major domestic and international commemorative events, observances and services. These calendars could be developed in consultation with ex-service organisations and other relevant organisations. The calendars could be divided into First World War and Century of Service events, recognising that there will be some cross-over; for example, recognition of important Anzac Centenary themes, such as multicultural service. Appendixes 5 and 6 contain respectively indicative programs for Rabaul to Return and Century of Service anniversaries for 2014–15, which could form a basis for annual calendars of commemorative events. (These are included in this report as examples only, as the actual calendars may have different events and/or timings.)

Protocol for senior-level attendance at Anzac Day services

3.24The governments of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey agree that given the capping of attendance numbers at Gallipoli in 2015, there will also be a requirement to limit numbers of attendance of official guests. Recommendations regarding the allocation of places for official guests for Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and other nations associated with the Gallipoli campaign will be addressed by the Government. The Board considers that in circumstances in which places available to the general public will need to be limited, numbers of official guests should be kept to an absolute minimum.

3.25The Australian War Memorial in Canberra, can expect increased numbers at its services on Anzac Day 2015 and, as the national institution for commemoration in Australia, senior government representation at these services will be essential and expected from the Australian community. In 2015, the two key locations with Australian representation at the highest levels (Governor-General and Prime Minister) should be at the Gallipoli and Australian War Memorial services. Similarly, in 2018, this approach should be considered for the services at Villers-Bretonneux, France and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

3.26The Board notes that if the opening of the Australian War Memorial in the New Zealand National War Memorial Park in Wellington is planned to occur on Anzac Day 2015, this would provide additional pressures on senior level representation.

Convoy commemorative event, Albany

3.27The Board considers that a commemoration, on and around 1 November 2014, of the centenary of the departure of the first convoy from Albany, is warranted. On that date, 36 merchant vessels departed from Albany, together with three cruisers—the Australian Navy ships, HMAS Melbourne and Sydney and the HMS Minotaur. Two more vessels carrying troops from South Australia and Western Australia, along with the Japanese cruiser, Ibuki, joined the convoy two days later.

3.28The Australian Government provided funding in the 2012–13 Budget for a scoping study into an Albany convoy commemorative event. The study was undertaken by MI Associates in association with David Atkins Enterprises (DAE) and Diane Bernstein Design (DBD), and was overseen by a working group comprising the main stakeholders from the Commonwealth, Western Australia and Albany. It was chaired by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The scoping study was provided to the Board in December 2012.

3.29It is clear from the scoping study that anything approaching a full-scale restaging of the convoy would be extremely expensive, even if it were logistically feasible. The Board does not consider this to be a realistic option. The Board favours a much smaller scale symbolic event that is reflective of the sombre reality of the experiences that faced the servicemen and servicewomen onboard the convoys when they reached Gallipoli and later the Western Front. A handful of Australian naval vessels, together with the possibility of some foreign naval vessels, could provide the core of a significant event. A naval presence by New Zealand should be encouraged, given the importance to New Zealand of the convoys that left Albany. A number of private vessels could also be involved. The Board considers that modest involvement by the Army, including reservists, would contribute to the event.

3.30The Board believes that community-driven initiatives lie at the heart of the Centenary. A convoy commemorative event at Albany would be greatly enhanced by volunteer involvement from the local community, especially in relation to onshore activities.

3.31The importance of the Albany convoys to the shared history of Australia and New Zealand may warrant senior-level representation from both nations, together with senior representation from Western Australia. The event is deserving of national broadcasting.

3.32The commemoration at Albany also provides a backdrop for the HMAS Sydney engagement with the German naval vessel, SMS Emden, at the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.