Report to Government

Commemorative services and events

3.7The Board is in no doubt that the heart of Australians’ commemorative activity during the Centenary period will be the 2015 Anzac Day services, both domestic and international. These will be historic, solemn and emotive occasions and planning, public information, organisation and broadcasting should reflect this. The unique character of these services should be recognised by appropriate additional features that do not detract from the time-honoured order of service. For example, the Board supports measures to increase involvement of Australian Defence Force personnel and young Australians at all Anzac Day services, both in Australia and overseas. This may be achieved in creative ways, such as participation by youth choirs. The Board also supports an appropriate Hands of Friendship component in one of the Gallipoli services.

3.8It is clear that interest in attending the most iconic service, the dawn service on Anzac Day 2015 in Gallipoli, will far outstrip the safe capacity of the site. The Anzac Commemorative Site, where the dawn service is held, is in a rugged and remote part of Turkey, surrounded by thick scrub, steep terrain and bounded by the Aegean Sea. The Site is extremely constrained, with no opportunity for expansion. A safe and secure environment has to be guaranteed for all attendees, and at the same time maintenance of solemn and respectful commemorations. In order to achieve this, the governments of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand have formally agreed to limit the capacity of the Anzac Commemorative Site for the 2015 dawn service to 10,500 participants. This consists of 8,000 places to be made available for Australians, 2,000 places for New Zealand, with the remaining 500 allocated for official guests and representatives from Commonwealth and other nations. The Government has decided that the allocation of places for Australians will be decided through the process of a ballot.

3.9The Board acknowledges the reality that there are severe physical constraints on attendance numbers at Anzac Day, 2015 at Gallipoli, and that attendance needs to be managed equitably and efficiently with sufficient lead-time for attendees to make their travel plans. While this process is being managed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in close consultation with the host country Turkey, and New Zealand, the Board considers that approaches to increase the opportunity for engagement with the Centenary at Gallipoli should be explored. What is important is developing a solution that has the widest acceptance in the community and with the Turkish Government.

3.10A critical message is that there will be other services, in Australia and internationally, on Anzac Day and at other times. In relation to Gallipoli services during 2015, the Board supports consideration of other services being held to coincide with the centenaries of important events during the eight-month Gallipoli campaign in addition to the Anzac and Allies’ landing on 25 April 1915. For example, the beginning of the Battle of Lone Pine on 6 August, the Nek on 7 August and evacuation of the last Anzacs on 20 December. Consideration should also be given to a weekly commemoration service at Gallipoli during the centenary period of the campaign, which might involve a small number of Australians, including a chaplain, an Australian Defence Force member and a bugler.

3.11The National Anzac Day Service in Canberra in 2015 will also be a special occasion. The Board considers that some additional features could be incorporated, as long as they do not detract from the recognised order of service. For example, a Gallipoli Centenary Oration, reflecting upon Australia’s wartime experiences and sacrifices, could be considered.

3.12There will also be services at other iconic sites. For example, the Anzac Day dawn service at the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, in France, is a deeply moving commemoration. This will be held annually throughout the Anzac Centenary, including in 2018—the centenary of the engagement at Villers-Bretonneux, when Australian and Allied troops held the German advance. A few months later, the Allies launched their own offensive that eventually led to victory. The centenaries of other famous First World War engagements where Australians fought alongside other Allied forces will also see commemorative services being held. Additionally, a commemorative service held at the Menin Gate in Belgium on Remembrance Day in 2017 should be considered. Australia’s role in the Middle East campaign, including the mounted charge at Beersheeba in October 1917, should also be commemorated in 2017. It is possible, because of high levels of interest, that some overseas services in addition to Anzac Day 2015 at Gallipoli, may also require a level of management of attendance to ensure safety for participants.

3.13The Board considers that on 4 August 2014, the centenary of the start of the First World War should be recognised by a small number of symbolic national events, which all Australians may witness through national broadcasts, with some elements designed for direct participation. Some options include:

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  a small service at the Australian War Memorial in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
  
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  a short address by the Governor-General or Prime Minister at the Australian War Memorial
  
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  playing of the Last Post followed by a minute’s silence, to be replicated nationwide. The Sydney Festival has proposed 1,000 buglers to give effect to this
  
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  addresses to Parliament by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
  

3.14Commemorative events to mark the New Guinea action and the loss of the HMAS AE1 on their centenaries in 2014 would be warranted and could be conducted at Rabaul or mounted with a suitable Royal Australian Navy ship. The action between HMAS Sydney and the SMS Emden is also significant, particularly for the Royal Australian Navy. Accordingly, the Board proposes that a small service be held, if feasible, on board a Royal Australian Navy ship off Cocos on the centenary of the engagement.

3.15The Centenary period will also see commemorative services for significant non-First World War anniversaries, including from the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Malayan Emergency and peacekeeping operations. There will also be opportunities to visit sites of profound importance to Australians at quieter periods.

3.16The Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts the major national and international Anzac Day services, allowing the vast majority of Australians who cannot attend personally to witness or hear them electronically. The Board believes that these broadcasts are essential and should be publicised well in advance.