Reflection – 11 November 2019

Barham Ferguson

Today, you have heard how it came about to have a “Remembrance Day” both with the end of the Great War, and the need to never forget what a cost it was to so many, to stand up for the lives of so many others. We remember the fallen and the families they left behind; we remember those who returned, and passed away soon after, from injuries both mental and physical; and we also remember those who still choose to offer their service to their country.

But even more so today, I’d like to talk about the type of Australians that fought in the First World War, because one hundred years ago is a long time ago, and at your age that sometimes feels like the beginning of time itself.

When we think of the soldiers, sailors and airmen and women of the First World War, we often think that because they had those titles and wore uniforms, that they were career soldiers who chose the military life. But they weren’t.

In the lead up to the First World War, training was done in schools around the country. Boys aged twelve and up would receive this training, a little older than your six graders. Yes, we had just formed a regular army but we were going to need much more.

In the First World War, we didn’t have such a large number of ‘regular’ troops to send off to war in Europe and the Middle East. We did have a large number of volunteer troops and militia that were combined into major units and some would gain experience in the Boxer Rebellion in China and the South African Boer War. Some of these men would go on to serve and lead in the Great War. But when it came time to send troops at the declaration of that war, Australia enlisted 20 000 troops for the first Australian Imperial Force. That would almost fill the seats at the Canberra Stadium.

Over the course of the War, we would send over 330 000 men. Over thirteen Canberra stadiums full of men. With some training before departure being less than three weeks, and not with real rifles or uniforms due to the shortage, a lot of their preparation was done at sea as they travelled on crowded civilian ships towards the conflicts on the other side of the world.

But these men were just ordinary Australians. Members of families and communities. Robert Kearney, a member of the First Imperial Forces Expeditionary Force wrote of the men he enlisted and trained with: “There were fruitpickers, schoolteachers, fisherman, blacksmiths, shearers, woodcutters, drovers, accountants, clerks, railway men and labourers to name a few… But they all came and worked together.” As all who serve are.

So if you want to know the type of people we remember when we attend a service like this, by all means look at your family and friends in military uniform for they have made an active choice to serve their country and leave a very important legacy. But remember, any soldier or sailor, or airman who performed an act of valour, who served with honour and strived to leave a legacy of peace did so because of their character. Who they were as a person. Military service gave them opportunities and sometimes no choice, to show their character, but these core values were already inside them. As they are inside of you.

Today we remember those who have fallen, in their ultimate sacrifice. From the very first World War through to the most recent losses in Afghanistan. They have died so that we may have a life of peace. There is a reason that sounds very similar to Jesus’ story.

So when you remember them today and any other day you wish to, don’t just think of them as military personnel. They were and still are, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. Their courage to serve is indeed worthy of remembering every day. They were just like the young adults and in some cases the teenagers you know and see around you, but who displayed valour, honour and left a legacy for us, that they will never enjoy.

In growing these values within yourself, you will always be honouring their memory and their sacrifice, and I know they would be very proud of you.