Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

Soldiers resting in Trench, 1915 Sourced: Australian War Memorial ( www.awm.gov.au ) I had two grandfathers who served on the Western Front. To try and picture what they experienced, I imagine some trenches where they lived on and off for weeks, months and years. They are surrounded by rats, lice, rotting corpses and partly covered sewage. They and the people around them may not have bathed for weeks. They have poor shelter and endure freezing winters and summers filled with carrion flies. They have seen their friends die. Several times an hour a shell containing high explosive, shrapnel or sometimes poison gas, which could kill or maim them or gradually send them mad, is fired randomly in their general direction. Sometimes they have to kill other people. Then one day in 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, it all stopped and they could go home. Partly because of what they did, I have never had to experience such things. That is one of the reasons why I re...

Villers–Bretonneux Military Cemetery Sourced: Department of Veterans' Affairs ( www.dva.gov.au )  It used to mean just downing tools at work at 11:00 for a minute or so. It became memorable when we visited the Villers Bretonneux war cemetery to see the three graves and a wall memorial (no body found) of wife's forebears.  The beauty of the place belied its awful legacy, reinforced by the pock marks of the violence of the second world war. We were both proud of the care bestowed on the fallen and saddened by the spectacle. And this is only one of the many war graves scattered across the fields of Europe and elsewhere. I reflect on the many who returned damaged in body and mind, broken souls for whom the armistice would never bring peace.     

Being a teenager in the 1970s and living in the long shadow of the Vietnam War, Remembrance Day and Anzac Day seemed wrong. I could not understand why we would glorify war. I would not give it any of my time. To some degree my sentiments were reflected by the wider community with the minute's silence of Remembrance Day being something we did because we 'had to' not because it held any meaning.  An Australian soldier receiving medical treatment while being evacuated, Vietnam 1966. Image taken by: Blanch, Kenneth Ray Sourced from: Australian War Memorial ( www.awm.gov.au ) With age and greater understanding, my sentiments have changed, and whilst I still despise war and its legacy of death and damage, I admire its participants, their courage and sacrifice. I now live with a stalemate wherein I feel uncomfortably compelled to honour what I most abhor.  I now take pause and observe the minute's silence in gratitude for my freedom and with thanks to those who wo...

The image of the red poppy is both simple and poignant. The waves of red inspire the silence and reverence that this day deserves. And yet. The waves of red also represent the blood spilled, soaked into lands far from home. So many lives demanded as sacrifice for our sense of liberty and freedom. But are we actually free? International governments and the military Corporation spend billions of dollars creating ever new technology and we, the people, have become numb to stories of war, genocide and terror. The simple red poppy once symbolised the remembrance of the Great War – the war to end all wars. Sadly, that was not true. When I was a younger person the red poppy symbolised sacrifice and hope. Now that I am older, I cannot support an image which, to me, represents corporate sponsored death. I give a minutes silence to the victims of war, not the soldiers.

Lone Pine Cemetery 2000 Image Sourced from Department of Veterans' Affairs ( http://www.dva.gov.au/ ) Coming from an Italian background, I don’t have a direct connection with Remembrance Day having no family members involved in Australian theatres of war. My earliest memory of it, however, comes from my primary school experience. I remember being quiet and trying to think of fallen soldiers while the Last Post played through the classroom speaker. In later primary school years, we went to the War Memorial on St Kilda road and being told about the ray of sunlight that shines directly onto a particular spot at 11am on 11 November. I was so impressed by that. Much later, as an adult, my husband and I visited Gallipoli in 1987, before the days it became a pilgrimage, of sorts, for young Australian. We were driven around by a young Turkish man who still spoke about the respect the locals have for the fallen Australian soldiers. It was heartbreaking to see the artefacts in the ...

When I was at Primary School in the late 60’s, Remembrance Day was always marked with a minutes silence. I had no real sense of the importance of that silent minute until more recently when I unearthed stories of my own families involvement in WW1 and WW2. For me and my family, Remembrance Day is a chance to remember uncles lost in faraway places and a grandfather I never met who, as a stretcher bearer, helped probably thousands of men on the battlefields of Gallipoli and the Western Front. I also remember and think about my father who served in the Pacific in WW2. I think about the stories he told me as an older man and I am thankful that my own sons have not had to spend their 20s fighting in far off places.  Buglers sounding the "Last Post" 1943 Sourced from Australian War Memorial website ( www.awm.gov.au ) The minutes silence no longer seems to be marked as it once was, but I try to stop what I am doing at 11am on November 11th and think about my family. I ...

Light shining down into the Shrine of Remembrance Sourced from Shrine of Remembrance website ( www.shrine.org.au ) Remembrance Day has always been important to me. I think that the moment’s silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, the anniversary of the signing of the document that ended World War I, is an appropriate way to honour those who have died in any war. I can remember being awed as a child when I was first told that, once a year, on 11 November at 11 a.m., a ray of sunlight shines through an aperture in the roof of the Shrine of Remembrance to light up the word "Love" in the inscription “Greater love hath no man” on the Stone of Remembrance. I attended Remembrance Day ceremonies with my family and as a student with my school. For most of my life, no matter where I was, there would be an announcement asking for a moment’s silence, usually followed by a reading of the poem “For the Fallen” by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), published in The Times n...

Captured German trench near Pozieres 1916. Image sourced from Australian War Memorial ( www.awm.gov.au ) For me, Remembrance Day has both personal and historical significance. My paternal Grandfather served in “the Great War”. He was wounded at Pozieres, on the Somme, and his death, some forty years later was partly attributed to his war service. His death had a big impact on my family, emotionally and financially, as my Grandmother was left with 8 children, the youngest only 8. He was the only grandparent I never knew and I’ve always felt a sense of loss regarding him.  Remembrance Day historically signifies the Armistice at 11 o’clock on 11 November 1918, when hostilities ceased and the Great War ended. It was a time to remember all those who had been effected by this war but has become something larger in the years since. I think it’s a day to remember all those effected by war and to hope that peace may prevail instead of conflict.  

To help commemorate Remembrance Day, Moonee Valley Libraries will present an author talk by Joshua Funder at Niddrie on Tuesday 10 November at 6:30pm. The greatest achievement of the otherwise disastrous Gallipoli campaign was the successful evacuation of 20,000 Australian troops. Joshua Funder tells this epic story through the eyes of his great-grandfather, John Watson, who was one of the Engineers responsible for building the pier at Anzac Cove. Joshua discusses this alternative to the official record. This talk is a free event, however are bookings necessary. To book, please click here .

Maybe this could occur, but I suspect not! Travelling to the city each day for work in the 1960's, finding myself out of the office on an errand at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month when the whole city came to a standstill. Everything came to a halt, the trams in Swanston Street, pedestrians and all the vehicular traffic... The noise of a busy city absent, complete quiet for 2 minutes, is lodged in my memory. A silent tribute. A sign of respect for the fallen. My viewpoint looking down Swanston Street from Lonsdale Street right the way down to Princes Bridge and beyond, a city frozen for those few moments, unforgettable. Will it ever happen again in a city of nearly 4.5 million people?  Image sourced from: State Library of Victoria ( www.slv.vic.gov.au ) Annette is an obsessive family history researcher and regular patron at Sam Merrifield Library.

What Remembrance Day means to me is taking the time to reflect on the horror of the First World War and trying to think about what people must have gone through then. However as I have grown up I have seen the day change from a day where we stood still in the playground , to one where we don’t stop and reflect at all. I can remember working one day a few years ago and asking my boss if we were going to stop and pause for Remembrance Day like I always had done growing up. The response I got was that they didn’t do that as people who were visiting were not going to stop so why should we? I don’t know what caused this change in public opinion about the day, but I think people care more about ANZAC Day than they do Remembrance Day. Image Sourced from: Chris Radburn, Press Association Images, Britannica Image Quest  Steve is the Local History and Information Services Librarian at Sam Merrifield Library. To contribute to Moonee Valley Remembrance Day Memories please email ...

Remembrance Day is a reminder to us all of the cost of war and allows people the time to reflect upon this. However as time has passed Remembrance Day has gone from being the National day of memory for all wars to being sidelined by the more popular ANZAC day. As part of Moonee Valley Libraries Remembrance Day program we want to ask you a question: "What does Remembrance Day mean to you?"   Image created by: Cole Bennetts / Getty Images We want to know what it means to you and what are your memories of this national day of remembrance. How has it changed? Do you pause? Should we do more to ensure it's relevance? Has your opinion on the day changed? We want to hear your stories about Remembrance Day. We are asking for people to become Guest Bloggers of this blog and to tell your story to other people. We are looking for as many posts as possible in the lead up to Remembrance Day so don't delay. There will be no word limit, but we ask that you...

Melbourne based duo Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight are on a mission to create a field of more than 5000 handcrafted poppies in Federation Square, Melbourne, on Anzac Day 2015 as part of the Anzac Centenary Commemoration. The poppies will be a crafting community tribute to Australian servicemen and women and their families for their service and sacrifice in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations over the last 100 years. In August Lynn Berry will talk about this innovative tribute and conduct workshops at our Sam Merrifield and Niddrie branches. Moonee Valley Libraries will be collecting and displaying poppies at our five branches through until Remembrance Day 2014. Poppies will then be forwarded for inclusion in the Federation Square display. 5000 Poppies Launch Sam Merrifield Library Wednesday 6th August, 2pm. Niddrie Library Wednesday 13th August, 11am. For more information and patterns check the link at Moonee Valley Libraries

November 11, Remembrance Day, is a time of reflection as we think about the end of World War I and the tragic loss of life from 1914 -1918. In November 1918 cities, towns and municipalities around Australia marked the end of this conflict  with celebrations and memorial services.  In Moonee Ponds, ANZACS were welcomed home by the Mayor and Councillors outside the Town Hall, and other services were held across the community. The Essendon Gazette has many articles detailing these events, and reading them conveys the emotions and feelings generated by loss and the  turmoil of war. The issue of conscription for example was still divisive even at the end of 1918. You can read original articles from The Essendon Gazette on microfilm in the Sam Merrifield Library or visit the Trove website and view digitised copies of this newspaper from 1914-1918.

The numbers of those killed during the First World War is mind numbing. It is only through looking at personal stories that we can fully grasp not only the personal loss but also the loss to our communities. Ross McMullin explores the stories of ten young Australian men who lost their lives during the Great War. These men were  accomplished  in medicine, the military, sport, politics, architecture, agriculture and science. Ross McMullin's book, Farewell, Dear People: biographies of Australia's lost generation   is available from the library. This talk will take place at Sam Merrifield Library, Wednesday 7th November 2012 at 7pm Free, but bookings are required. Call 8325 1950