Remember in Albany

18 September 2018

Albany – where the first Anzac fleet departed in 1914 and widely regarded as the birthplace of Australia’s Anzac Day dawn service tradition – will host one of the biggest Remembrance Day programs in Australia to mark 100 years since the Armistice of World War I.

Headlined by the Field of Light: Avenue of Honour, the four-day program from November 8 to November 11 will be a fitting closure to the four-year Anzac Centenary and pay tribute to the Anzacs and the men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in other conflicts around the world.

About 2,000 students from 26 schools across the region will participate in a combined schools Remembrance Parade down York Street on Thursday, November 8, before congregating in Anzac Peace Park for a memorial service.

The Albany RSL sub-branch will hold a troop march down York Street including Australian Defence Force personnel to commemorate the centenary of Armistice on Sunday, November 11, and a memorial service in Anzac Peace Park.

Highlights of the community events include a choral performance titled ‘By Other Eyes’ on Remembrance Day, and a Community Celebration on Stirling Terrace to mark the moment on November 11 that the end of war was declared.

There will also be a Royal Australian Navy Ceremonial Sunset at the National Anzac Centre on November 9, and an exhibition at Princess Royal Fortress titled ‘Honouring Albany’s Own’ in memory of the 187 men and women remembered on the Avenue of Honour.

From sunset until midnight on November 8, the Department of Communities will be projecting a cascade of 59,000 poppies representing the approximate number of Australian soldier who died during World War I onto the Town Hall.

Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said Albany had been at the forefront of Anzac Centenary Commemorations and was a fitting place to close out one of the most important periods in our nation’s history.

“The connection Albany has to the Anzac story is now widely known and with the National Anzac Centre we have been able to play a significant part in reflecting and remembering our World War I heroes,” he said.

“We are incredibly honoured to be hosting the Field of Light, which will be a very immersive and emotive artistic tribute to the Anzacs and a symbol of hope and peace for the future.

“The Anzac Albany events for Remembrance Day will not only commemorate, but also celebrate that moment when war ended 100 years ago and everything our Anzacs fought for, so we encourage everyone to visit and be part of this special occasion.”

Anzac Albany 2018 has been made possible with the support of the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund, Tourism WA, Lotterywest, FORM and the City of Albany.

For more information on Anzac Albany programming for November 11, 2018 visit www.anzacalbany.com.au

Photo credit: Albany History Collection