Field of Remembrance and Anzac Service, Lyneham ACT [Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley]

[E&OE]

Good morning, everyone.

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional custodians of the land we are meeting on and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region.

It is a privilege for David and me to be with you today.

Can I begin by acknowledging three groups of people.

First, our current serving men and women, and veterans. Thank you for your service.

Also, the families, loved ones and colleagues of our service men and women. Thank you for the support that you provide.

And RSL LifeCare for arranging today’s Field of Remembrance and Anzac Service, and Australian War Widows ACT for its continued strong advocacy and compassion.

It is good that all of us can come together in this way.

Next Thursday is Anzac Day.

It is an important day in our national calendar. A day where we have an opportunity to remember those who have served.

To remember their endurance, courage, mateship and sacrifice. And the sacrifices of their loved ones.

Where we reflect on the cost to individuals and families. The time spent apart. The physical and mental toll. The heartache. The loss.

Our war widows understand this more than most. In their loss they have recognised the need to support each other. This is very evident in their motto:

‘We all belong to each other. We all need each other. It is in serving each other and in sacrificing for our common good that we find our true life.’

This is an important statement.

I love it because it speaks to respect, compassion, kindness and selflessness.

Having had so much taken from them they didn’t react in a way we might expect — they gave back to each other, and through that they gave back to us as Australians. They lived their lives very much as inheritors of the Anzac legacy.

And, can I say, based on the experiences David and I have had over the past nearly five years, those qualities go to the core of who we are as a people.

As many of you are aware, David’s term as Governor-General finishes at the end of June.

Together, we have had a front row seat to the best of Australia — to people and organisations that do amazing work and enrich our country.

We have visited a great many communities during adverse times, where there are no bright lights and no sugar-coating the reality facing communities. We feel for those people enormously, think of them often, and wish them better days ahead.

Strangely, we come away from those visits feeling uplifted.

Uplifted by the inner strength of people and their determination, and their compassion and kindness. David and I have witnessed firsthand the difference that can make to people’s lives.

I am reminded again of the sentiment of the Australian War Widows motto: people who need each other, help each other and work for the common good.

That sentiment is on full display here today and in the work of RSL LifeCare and Australian War Widows ACT. Two organisations that comprise good people who are always at the ready to lend a helping hand.

One of the joys of our role has been to meet so many Australians of that ilk and to shine a light on the important work they do.

RSL LifeCare has been caring for Australia’s war veterans and seniors for almost 115 years — a remarkable legacy. Right now, Australian War Widows ACT is providing companionship, counselling and support to more than 100 widows in the region. The positive difference it makes to people’s lives cannot be overstated.

To all involved in RSL LifeCare and Australian War Widows ACT — thank you for your kindness and for making our community stronger.

It has been a privilege for me to be with you on this important occasion.

I again thank our hosts — RSL LifeCare and Australian War Widows ACT.

The field of remembrance is rich in symbolism, touches our hearts, and reminds us of the sacrifice made by our fellow Australians.

Lest we forget.

[Ends]