Berrima honoured the sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand men and women on ANZAC Day in the War Memorial Garden in the Marketplace in Berrima in 2022.
Over 200 people attended the Dawn Services at 5.45am and were invited to refreshments afterwards in the Berrima Village Hall. A further 200 people attended the Morning Service at 10.30am.
Special thanks to everyone who worked to deliver the ceremonies. In particular, we acknowledge the contribution from the Ven. Geoff Webb, Lynn Watson, Air Commodore Bob Rodgers AM, Squadron Leader Joel Hardy, Ros Jones, Richard Lane and the Wingecarribee Vocal Muster Singers, Andrew Hearn, Yvonne and John D’Arcy, the Berrima Public School, Gumnut Patisserie and Wingecarribee Shire Council. ANZAC Services have been presented by the Berrima Residents Association in the War Memorial Garden since its was restored by the Association in 2007.
The ANZAC Address was delivered this year by Berrima resident Air Commodore Bob Rodgers AM CSM.
ANZAC DAY 2022
ADDRESS By AIR COMMODORE BOB RODGERS AM CSM
WE STAND HERE THIS MORNING ON GUNDUNGURRA LAND.
I ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS AND RECOGNISE THEIR CONTINUING CONNECTION TO LAND, WATERS AND CULTURE. WE PAY RESPECT TO THE ELDERS, PAST, PRESENT AND EMERGING.
TODAY WE DON’T COME TOGETHER TO COMMEMORATE OR GLORIFY WAR. WE COME TOGETHER TO COMMEMORATE THE SACRIFICES OF ORDINARY AUSTRALIAN MEN AND WOMEN. SINCE FEDERATION FARMERS, SEAMSTRESSES, MINERS, NURSES, TRADESMAN HAVE ALL PUT ON A UNIFORM FOR THEIR NATION. WHEN MEN AND WOMEN LEAVE TO SERVE, THEY LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES, THEIR FRIENDS AND FOR A TIME THEY LEAVE THEIR ASPIRATIONS AND HOPES BEHIND. THEY DO THIS BECAUSE THEY PUT OTHERS BEFORE THEMSELVES.
SADLY, CONFLICT HAS BEEN A CONSTANT THREAD THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. EACH GENERATION HOPES THAT THE SACRIFICES IT MAKES WILL MEAN THE GENERATIONS THAT FOLLOW MAY NOT HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THE NEED FOR THOSE SAME SACRIFICES.
INEVITABLY HISTORY HAS SHOWN THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED FOR VIGILANCE AND AT TIMES RESPONSE WHEN GREED OR HUBRIS DRIVE THE LEADERSHIP OF OTHER NATIONS.
THE COUNTRY IN WHICH WE LIVE IS STABLE AND OUR GEOGRAPHY PROVIDES ADVANTAGES THAT OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES. THOUGH IT MUST BE RECOGNISED THAT WE TOO ARE FACING SOME GROWING TENSIONS WITH THE BEHAVIOUR AND ASPIRATION OF OTHER NATIONS.
IN THE PAST, WHEN NEEDED, AUSTRALIAN MEN AND WOMEN ANSWERED THE CALL. THE BOER WAR, WORLD WARS ONE AND TWO, KOREA, MALAYAN CONFRONTATION, VIETNAM, TIMOR, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND SO MANY OPERATIONS UNDER THE RUBRIC OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
SINCE FEDERATION, MEN AND WOMEN HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND THEIR TRADES, JOIN THEIR PROFESSIONAL MILITARY COLLEAGUES AND LEAVE OUR SHORES TO SERVE. THEY HAVE REPRESENTED US THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN COMBAT, IN PEACEKEEPING AND IN HUMANITARIAN ROLES.
SOME MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. ….JUST UNDER 103,000 AUSTRALIANS HAVE DIED IN OPERATIONAL SERVICE, THE MOST RECENT OF COURSE, IN AFGHANISTAN.
AND THOUGH SOME GAVE ALL, ALL GAVE SOME…….
APPROX 180,000 HAVE BEEN WOUNDED, WITH A SIMILAR NUMBER FOR NON BATTLE RELATED ILLNESS AND INJURY. WE MUST ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUFFERING AND DEPRIVATION OF OUR PRISONERS OF WAR.
THE WOUNDS ARE NOT ALWAYS VISIBLE, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE SADLY EVIDENT IN MANY OF THOSE WHO HAVED RETURNED. ANY MAN OR WOMAN WHO HAS UNDERTAKEN OPERATIONAL SERVICE IS AFFECTED BY IT IN SOMEWAY.
ACROSS EVERY GENERATION, MANY OF THOSE WHO HAVE RETURNED HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY READJUSTING TO THEIR LIVES DUE THEIR OPERATIONAL SERVICE. AND SOME UNFORTUNATELY COULDN’T FACE THEIR EXPERIENCES OR THE IMPACT OF THOSE EXPERIENCES ON THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. TODAY WE STILL HEAR OF EX SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WHO CHOSE TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES.
THE AUSTRALIAN VETERAN SUICIDE RATE IS DOUBLE THE AUSTRALIAN AVERAGE AT TWENTYTWO POINT TWO PER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND. THIS EQUATES TO A VETERAN SUICIDE EVERY TWO WEEKS.
EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO UNDERSTAND AND REMEDIATE THIS LINGERING COST THAT HAS HAUNTED EVERY GENERATION OF SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN.
OF COURSE, NUMBERS DON’T EVEN BEGIN TO ALLOW US TO SEE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT SIT BEHIND THEM. EACH NUMBER IS A PERSON AND A FAMILY WITH THEIR OWN STORY.
BATTLE CASUALTY, NON-BATTLE CASUALTY AND VETERAN SUICIDE ALL OF THESE REFLECT THE COSTS OF SERVICE.
WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS THE FAMILIES OF SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN THAT BEAR THE REAL ONGOING HUMAN COST OF WAR. FAMILIES BEAR THE BURDEN OF ABSENCE, AND WHEN A SOLDIER, SAILOR OR AVIATOR DOESN’T COME HOME OR IS INJURED, THIS ABSENCE OR INJURY BECOMES THE BACKDROP FOR THEIR LIVES AND THIS IMPACT IS GENERATIONAL.
IN AUSTRALIA WE HAVE WORKED TO SUPPORT THE WAR WIDOWS AND CHILDREN OF OUR SERVICEMEN FROM PAST WARS. LEGACY WAS FOUNDED AFTER WORLD WAR ONE TO DO THIS AND CONTINUES TODAY. TODAY VETERANS AFFAIRS SUPPORTS ABOUT 225,000 VETERANS DIRECTLY AND 100,000 DEPENDANTS OF VETERANS WHICH INCLUDES THEIR PARTNERS AND/OR CHILDREN. THIS IS PART OF OUR NATIONAL PROMISE TO OUR GENERATIONS OF SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN.
AS A NATION WE MUST SUSTAIN THESE EFFORTS AS NEW GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES FACE THE IMPACTS OF THE SERVICE ON THEIR LOVED ONES. TODAY THIS MEANS WIDOWERS AS WELL, AS MORE AND MORE WOMEN STEP UP TO VOLUNTEER TO WEAR THE UNIFORM OF OUR COUNTRY. SINCE 1985, 373500 AUSTRALIANS HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE IN THE ADF. AS WE STAND HERE TODAY, THERE ARE 641000 VETERANS IN AUSTRALIA. 11 PERCENT OF THESE ARE WOMEN AND THAT NUMBER IS STEADILY INCREASING.
WAR IS NOT GLORIOUS. WAR IS NOT ENOBLING. IT IS PAIN, SUFFERING AND LOSS FOR ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN IT. EVEN MORE SO, FOR THOSE OF THE NATION WHO HAVE NOT SOUGHT CONFLICT BUT ARE FORCED TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AND THEIR CULTURE FROM AN AGGRESSOR. TODAY WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE COURAGE AND SACRIFICE OF THOSE WHO PLAYED THEIR PART IN THE DEFENCE OF THEIR NATION AND OF THEIR FAMILIES. THEY ALSO FOUGHT FOR THE PERSON WHO SHOULDERED ARMS NEXT TO THEM, CREATING BONDS THAT FOR MANY ARE LIFELONG.
YES, ANZAC DAY IS A DAY THAT WE REFLECT ON THE SACRIFICES OF THE GENERATIONS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE US. BUT ANZAC DAY IS MUCH MORE THAN LOOKING BACK TO RECOGNISE THE PAST, IT IS ALSO A NATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO CONTEMPLATE THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH OF US TO ASK OURSELVES, WHAT WILL WE DO WHEN THE CALL COMES? AS ONE DAY IT WILL COME, AS THIS IS THE INEVITABILITY OF HUMAN HISTORY.
LEST WE FORGET
