Proud Sister

Hello – I am skipping any stories of me today (mostly because it involved being on the computer or in the kitchen or other mundane things)
One of my sisters, Rosemary, had a much more interesting day.

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra holds a daily Last Post Ceremony to commemorate the fallen, lay wreaths and pay tribute to a particular soldier.

Rosemary, a Wing Commander in the Royal Australian Air Force, was the officer who presented the story of Private John Townshend Glennie, a young man who lost his life in 1935, aged only 34.

The War Memorial streams these live so I was able to take a peek and be the proud sister that I am! You can have a look too if you like here Although I suggest you fast forward at least the first 4 minutes which is the burning flame.
(Apart from the ceremony, there is a persistent noisy cockatoo that happily screeched his way through the ceremony. Rosemary said she was trying not to take any notice of him – they are funny birds!)

Rosemary has often done the ANZAC ceremony at our parents retirement village.
For those not familiar, ANZAC stands for the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in World War 1. The day of remembrance is the 25th of April, and in my mind, the most important day of the year for us. The story is worth knowing and we are incredibly proud of this sad history.

The day now broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

After the service, we all come out to see the wreath laid and observe a minute of silence
A short word or two before hand
Max lays the wreath
Silence and a salute
Max (one of the villagers that served) and Rosemary
Explanations about the medals and ribbons to the younger generation (Nephew and niece, Riley and Georgia)
Proud Parent Moment…

I hope everybody elses day was less domestic than mine!

Cheers!

Author: Lisa

A happy traveller through life! Right now living in NW Tasmania with a gorgeous Nurse-Husband, a fool of a Siamese Cat and several chickens. We love our fairly simple lifestyle of growing a lot of what we eat and enjoying the stunning surrounds of our little patch.

8 thoughts on “Proud Sister”

  1. What a special service to all!! I know you are sooo proud of your sister such an honor. Thanks for your post!!!

    1. I am glad you enjoyed Linda! I am totally proud of her! This is a really great thing they do – there are thousands of names on the walls there. To pay tribute to one daily is wonderful.

  2. What a heartwarming story. Thank you for sharing it with us. My husband is a retired Master Sergeant, US Air Force, and I always like to read about other countries’ armed services. Thanks again!

    1. Thank-you Jess!! Its a lovely idea they have at the War Memorial isn’t it? Stories of people who should never be forgotten!

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