Tag: ANZAC Day

THE RETIREES SIGHT SEEING IN MELBOURNE 2026

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Monday 10th March Day 5 – Kerry visited a showing of Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons Exhibition at the National Gallery whilst I visited the Shrine of Remembrance.

The exhibition paired British designer Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022) and Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942) of Comme des Garçons. A display of more than 140 ground-breaking designs, the exhibition brought together fashion from international museums and private collections –alongside 100+ works from the National Gallery Collection. Kerry was excited by the promise of something special.

The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I but now functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. It is a site of annual observances for Anzac Day (25 April) and Remembrance Day (11 November) and is one of the largest war memorials in Australia.

Designed by architects Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop, both World War I veterans, the Shrine is in classical style, based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Built from Tynong granite, the Shrine originally consisted only of the central sanctuary surrounded by the ambulatory. The sanctuary contains the marble Stone of Remembrance, upon which is engraved the words “Greater love hath no man” Once per year, on 11 November at 11 a.m. (Remembrance Day), a ray of sunlight shines through an aperture in the roof to light up the word “Love” in the inscription. Beneath the sanctuary lies the crypt, which contains a bronze statue of two soldiers, father and son, and panels listing every unit of the Australian Imperial Force.

The Shrine went through a prolonged process of development, which began in 1918 with an initial proposal to build a Victorian memorial. General Sir John Monash used the 1927 Anzac Day march to garner support for the Shrine and finally won the support of the Victorian government later that year. The foundation stone was laid on 11 November 1927, and the Shrine was officially dedicated on 11 November 1934.

Photos, The Shrine, Opening Day, the crypt – ANZAC cove landing craft, the Sanctuary and the Stone, and the view to the city.

2026.03.27 Shrine of Remembrance MelbourneDownload

Kerry was disappointed with the show at the National Gallery as many of the designs were impractical and impossible to be worn.

We spent the remainder of the day relaxing. Today’s events and the previous 4 days had been quite tiring.

Tuesday Day 6 – We decided to see Melbourne from the Yarra, so we booked a boat trip from Southgate Docks. We boarded the boat and headed to the mouth of the Yarra River. We passed the modern Melbourne through the Southbank Arts and Leisure precinct, the Sea Life Aquarium, Crown Casino, Melbourne convention Centre, then the historic “SS. Polly Woodside” under the Bolte Bridge into the harbour district turning around at Westgate Bridge and returning to the dock. The cruise offered trips to the docks and to the parks and gardens upriver, so we stayed aboard for the 2nd part of our cruise passing the National Tennis centre, Botanic Gardens, Sporting Arenas, historic Cosmo House & Gardens up to Herring Island where the boat about faced and went back to the start.

Photo: copy of the map of the Yarra cruise

cruise map of YarraDownload

After a spot of gaming at the Casino, we headed home to the hotel and rested as we were going to the Comics Lounge at North Melbourne for dinner and a laugh. Trams are the best way around Melbourne proven again by our travelling to the venue without a hitch in the mid-week evening rush from work for Melbournians. We arrived early and whilst Kerry rested her foot (it had been playing up due to the exercise it had endured for the week) I inspected the architecture of North Melbourne – I found a few buildings of interest. Unfortunately, the Comics Lounge did not impress us. The comics thought it necessary to be rude and crude and dinner lacked anything exciting. We pulled up stumps at half time and went home.

Wednesday Day 7 – Kerry had spotted a balloons festival at the Convention Centre and for our last day in Melbourne it struck us as an easy visit to undertake without really knowing what to expect. Well, it was spectacular (funny how the unexpected can be UNEXPECTED). Tens of thousands of ballons twisted into shapes I thought impossible. It delighted the kids attending including these big kids. The most surprising was a little shy girl who was possessed with having to play the drums (no not made from balloons) in one of the sets – no idea what to do but beat the drum.

Photos

It only took an hour to go through the multiple setting from Africa to Australia to the Moon and Space. We both enjoyed the festival and after a coffee we made our way home. Our time in Melbourne was coming to an end. Suitcases to fill and planes to catch as we were due in Perth in 7 days. Next time we will be THE RETIREES AT A CELESTIAL EVENT – PERTH 2026.

The Retirees go Abroad – ANZAC Day Dawn service and Villiers Bretonneux

We did not get back to Des Hortillonnges on Friday; I napped too long apparently. We did go back to the Mall but the promised rain seemed imminent as the weather closed in. Dark clouds and sprinkles of rain chased us all the way back to the apartment.

We set the alarm for 02.00am. I slept like a log and Kerry nervously awaited the alarm. At the appointed hour we dressed packed our backpack and headed for the train station. We were not alone. People were gathering from all directions and not just Australians. However the guides were not so anxious and they did not arrive til 03.00am and the buses (17 of them) until 03.15am. This caused many to wander aimlessly checking and double checking that they would not miss the bus.

Suddenly, Tour Perrett was illuminated with the Australian flag and then followed the guides and then the buses in no particular order. Our tickets allocated the bus we were to catch. Some were the “short tour” – just the dawn service and others like our bus number 5 were for the “long tour” – the dawn service and the French service at the memorial at Villiers Bretonneux. Boarding the bus we were issued with badges to identify our tour and bus number and lapel badges to commemorate the occasion.

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The bus took about 20 minutes to travel to the Australian War Memorial and about 20 minutes to navigate the traffic to drop us at the memorial. There were thousands of people, some walking but most arriving by bus. As we alighted fine rain started to fall and a strong breeze blew it into our faces. We walked through the entry into the cemetery. Grave stones decorated with flags of the nationality of the soldier where known stood to attention to our left and right. Australian, New Zealand, British, French, Indian and South African flags identified the nations recognised at the memorial.

There is limited seating so we made our way quickly to get a good position from which to witness the ceremony. Darkness splintered by the camera lights for the broadcast and the official ceremony spread all around so everything seemed somewhat eerie with shadows crossing the graveyard and the monument continuously. We found suitable seats and then the rain started to fall in earnest. We had brought our “Bayeaux Tapestry” ponchos and umbrella. We were confident we would stay dry. Many were not prepared and someone made a lot of money selling clear plastic rain hoods. The military personnel carried on with protection and despite the rain.

We were seated by 04.00am. However the service could not start til the Gallipoli service had finished. In between there were songs, music, a photographic tribute projected onto the tower of the memorial and rain.

With the dawn members of the Federation Guard formed the Catafalque Party to commence the service. The Australian Ambassador to France welcomed everyone and the Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett presented the Call to Remembrance. Monsignor Stuart Hall Principal Chaplin for the RAN performed the Prayer for Remembrance and the Prayer for Peace. Kevin Andrews Minister for Defence delivered the Commemorative Address and Madame Pascale Boistard Secretary of State for Women’s Rights delivered the Commemorative Address for the French nation. This was followed by a reading then the official wreath laying, the Ode of Remembrance the piper, the Last Post, a Minutes Silence and Reveille. The service ended with the national anthems for Australia and France a final blessing from Monsignor Hall and the Catafalque Party dismounts. And still it rained.

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The solemnity of the occasion was somewhat destroyed by the rush to the buses that followed. Our rain coats and umbrellas had been partly successful and everyone had the same paranoia about missing the bus back to Villiers Bretonneux, so everyone hurried past the graves to board their bus with some mayhem ensuing. And still it rained.

The drive to the village took less than 10 minutes. So by 07.30am we found ourselves dropped off in an unfamiliar place with vague directions as to where to find the village square and the French Memorial. But it had stopped raining and the glow of the morning illuminated our path to the village. A short stroll through a wooded park brought us to the Marie (the village town hall and Mayor’s office), the village square and the “commercial centre” of the village.

The rush was on for toilets and a warm beverage. We found a less popular café and comfortably fulfilled our requirements before strolling around to the village, the village church, the bakery, the museum and the school. The French service commenced at 09.00am followed by a concert. We attended the service along with the same dignitaries who had attended the Australian service but we were unable to attend the concert. The village hall was filled to overflowing. So we returned to the bakery and the courtyard at the rear until our bus returned at 10.30am.

We returned to Amiens by 11.00am. The stroll back to our apartment seemed a little harder now but after some lunch at the apartment and a rest we were off to Des Hortillonages.

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Remembrance Day

It is the 11th hour on the 11th day 100 years after the Armistice.

The strength of support for Remembrance is tremendous. The similarity with ANZAC Day in Australia is phenomenal and the pride of the nation for its fallen servicemen is tangible. Everywhere there is silence as we remember those soldiers, sailors, and airmen sacrificed for the security and stability that British people enjoy today.

We feel we have been part of this remembrance and glad that we have involved ourselves. Our involvement started with assisting the British Legion with its Poppy Day fund raising through the Rotary Club of Nottingham. For two hours we sold Poppy Day mementos at Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham. Our shift, 4.00pm to 6.00pm meant that we saw people of Nottinghamshire coming home from work (the rail station is accessed through the shopping centre) all stopping to donate or buy a poppy, badge or wrist band. One of the styles of poppies on sale was a knitted poppy. We had not seen these before. All individual but based on a standard pattern. We learned that these had been created by members of the public following a request by one of the local radio stations that 11,000 be knitted for the 11,000 Nottinghamshire soldiers lost in WW1.

Kerry delighted in relaying this story to the many women who picked through these poppies looking for the right one. I am not sure if they were interested in the poppies or just wanted to hear the Australian talking. We were visited by one surprised Aussie who heard the accent and had to ask what the hell we were doing raising money for the British Legion.

We were visited by Val Lievers, a past District Governor for this Rotary District. Val is one of the originators of the project and she continues with organisation for the British Legion and has cemented the relationship between the organisations. Busy and bubbly, Val was surprised to have a couple of Aussies on the stand. Below are the snaps of us on the stand courtesy of Val. According to Val tens of thousands of pounds will be raised through this effort by the Legion and Rotary.

 

the Volunteers
the Nottingham knitted Poppies

Val also told us that the response from the public to supply the knitted poppies was overwhelming with more than 100,000 poppies being donated from Nottingham.

We also had present servicemen visit and donate. One in particular stopped with his wife and family to talk to me as we shared a common interest – it is probable that he encountered our son Adam serving with the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan. This fellow is currently in his 30th year in the service, having started as a Private and risen in the ranks to Major and having served a number of times in Afghanistan, Iraq and Falklands.

Our next encounter was when we went to the Tower of London to see our Poppy. For those of you who are not aware the British Legion has arranged the sale of hundreds of thousands of ceramic poppies (almost 900,000 in fact, designed and made right here in Derbyshire) to represent the British soldiers, sailors and airmen lost in the WW1. The poppies have been planted in the moat of the Tower. These poppies are about 4 feet tall and cost 25 pound. We hope to receive ours in January 2015 as the display will be dismantled after today. The vision of these poppies is spectacular and has been visited by over 4 million people according to press reports. A picture is worth a thousand words or so the saying goes. I agree in this case and here are my photos.

 

The Tower Moat
the Poppy Waterfall
Looking toward the Thames
Looking to the east
Kerry
Panorama
Our poppy is in there
Close up
Glendon
Close up of the source
the Shard in the back
the source
Watch Tower on the Thames
Statue on the Tower
the source
Western side of the Tiower
Falklands War Memorial
Merchant Seamen Memorial

Here in Britain they remember on Remembrance Sunday. This is the Sunday before the anniversary of Armistice Day and they have two minutes silence at 11.00am on the 11th as well. I was not aware of this and by accident came across the Long Eaton Memorial parade and service returning from Tescos. On returning to the flat, I told Kerry and both of us hurried back to the Memorial. Marketplace Rd and Tamworth Rd were closed and now filled with people. We had missed the parade but the formal service and wreath laying was taking place. There were dignitaries on the official dais beside the Memorial in the centre of town. It was hard to see what was happening from the back of the crowd but the audio was crystal clear. I don’t know who everyone on the dais was but there was clearly a priest who conducted the service and probably the Mayor for the borough in mayoral regalia. There were representative units from the Army, Navy, Air force and Commandos, and other community organisations laying wreaths.

The priest gave a moving and interesting address about the first two minutes silence. Someone, and I cannot remember who, put the idea to King George V shortly before the first anniversary of the armistice. The King approved of the idea and through the Times requested that on the 11th hour of the 11th day that everyone stop their daily activities for two minutes silence in remembrance of the fallen. Even with the short notice, the country came to a standstill. Traffic stopped. Trains delayed their departure. Pedestrians stood still in the streets. And every year thereafter this ritual of remembrance was performed until Remembrance Sunday was announced for the remembrance of those lost in war, as well as the two minutes silence on the anniversary. With the completion of the ceremony the parade reformed and marched out down Tamworth Rd. I have captured some of it for you.

 

The Official Dais
the Mayor
the Crowd
More of the crowd
And more of the crowd
the memorial
the Army
WW1 uniformed marcher
the veterans
more of the parade
the parade
the Navy
the Commandos
the Mayor takes the salute
local scout group
the Air Force

Lest we forget.

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