Remember.......

Darwin, Australia

It is Remembrance Day in Australia. Like Canada and the US and many other countries around the world, today is a day to stop and remember and thank those who fought, those who died, those who suffer permanent disabilities during conflicts around the world so that we can live the life we have today.

The monument that served as the backdrop for the ceremony.

I wasn't sure how Darwin would celebrate the occasion. Last year, you might remember (you can always look back at the blog post) I spent the day at the Veteran's Day Parade in New York City. I hadn't heard of a parade planned here but I decided I would head down to the Cenotaph because if there was a ceremony it would be there.

The Cenotaph

I was right.....there was a ceremony and I made it in plenty of time. There was a pretty good turn out. A mixture of young people, old people, active and retired military, politicians, families and many who just seemed to be passing by not realizing before what the day was.

A few of the poppies that were placed on the monument.

The man who spoke was a veteran of World War II and I appreciated a lot of what he had to say. He talked about (and I'm paraphrasing here) how war isn't something anyone wants, and it isn't anything that we enter into lightly and it is a government's obligation to try all diplomatic means first. But as a last resort, war is often necessary and we must support those who volunteer to fight in hopes a making the world better for everyone. I am sure many people have said this very thing before but on this day it just seemed to make so much more sense coming from this man. He also made a point of mentioning not just those who died but those who have suffered life long disabilities from their time in war. I am so glad he brought that up because it seems they are often forgotten.......and unfortunately it seems as though that trends continues.

Anyway, I was very glad to have been able to attend a ceremony I hope that no matter where in the world you were on November 11th at 1100 you were able to take a moment to remember and say thanks.

Once the ceremony was over I decided to wander through the park to check out a few things. I have been meaning to get down there since I got here but have never seem to have made the walk down the Esplanade. It is a little warm this time of year at noon (well for me anytime of day) but I sucked it up. Here are a few of the things I saw.

The view of the Darwin Naval Base.

This is the memorial for the USS Peary. I know I mentioned it in a much earlier post but to remind you, the USS Peary is the US destroyer that was sunk in the Darwin Harbour during the 1942 attack by the Japanese. The gun is actually from the ship and it points at the spot in the harbour where the ship still rests.

I also found this art work. I haven't been able to find a name or artist but it was quite pretty. Yes there is water running off it. Actually offered a nice cool breeze.

And that is a quick look at the Darwin Esplanade. A nice little walk but I think I prefer it in the dry season when it isn't so hot.

Julie