OFFICIAL VISIT TO BELGIUM

12 June 2007

MEDIA ADVISORY

The Governor-General and Mrs Jeffery will represent the government and people of Australia at a range of commemorative events marking the 90th anniversary of the World War 1 battles on the Western Front.

The commemorations include a special ceremony at the Menin Gate. The Menin Gate at Ypres was one of only two entries into the medieval fortified city. It was through this gate that allied soldiers, including Australians, marched to the battlefields of Ypres between 1914 and 1918. After the war, the Menin Gate was chosen as the site for a memorial to the thousands of allied soldiers who were killed in the area but had no known grave. The memorial consists of an archway and it is inscribed with the names of 54,900 dead from Britain and Commonwealth countries. It was opened in 1927.

The Governor-General and Mrs Jeffery will depart on 9 July and are expected to return to Australia on 17 July 2007.

The Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, will perform the duties of Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia during the Governor-General’s absence.

Media Contact:
Stephen Jiggins   
02 62833519   or    0408 480 779
Government House
Canberra
12 June 2007