Page 3427 - Week 11 - Thursday, 11 November 2021
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Remembrance Day
MR CAIN (Ginninderra) (6.55): I will not keep members here for very long, but it is striking to me that we have a sitting day on Remembrance Day, 11 November. I do want to commend the Speaker for the tradition of a minute’s silence that all of us together reflected on this morning at 11.
This sort of ceremony is really important because there are not many Canberrans whose lives are not affected by war and loss in war. And while it is tragic to reflect on such losses, it is good that we can recognise that the horrible things that happened came to a conclusion which produced a relatively peaceful and stable society. We trust that we never have to have such a moment again.
I want to reflect, and bring to the attention of the Assembly, that my own stepfather, my mother’s second husband, Kenneth Naseby, fought in World War II as a naval seaman between 1944 and 1946. He served on HMAS Australia, which fought during the battle of Leyte Gulf during the invasion of the Philippines. This heavy cruiser was struck by a kamikaze Japanese aircraft—and some say it was the first such attack on an Allied ship—with the loss of 30 lives, including the captain’s.
My office in this Assembly has many links to service men and women, friends and family in active service, who have served in the past, from tank drivers in World War II to Light Horsemen at the charge of Beersheba. My current adviser’s grandfather, John Seaton, was a fighter pilot in the Korean War, stationed out of the Kimpo Air Base with the 77th Squadron. He then went to Antarctica with the RAAF on an exploratory expedition, mapping untouched parts of the continent while flying a small plane.
So even in our office and, I am sure, in other offices in this Assembly and in households around Canberra, there are many connections between those who have sacrificed themselves to defend our nation and its principles. I would encourage all of us to contemplate and reflect on their sacrifice and their contribution, as is currently happening today. Lest We Forget.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 6.58 pm until Tuesday, 23 November 2021, at 10 am.
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