We remember those called to fight in battles far from home. Those who were lost, and those who returned home lost.
We remember those left behind. Those who waited in fear they’d never see their loved ones again, and those who had that fear realised.
We remember those who answered the call to serve a nation that did not recognise their place within it, nor the war their ancestors fought in its defence.
We pause to share in the collective grief of those we’ve lost, and the collective pride of so many acts of valour.
We must also remember and reflect on the horror of war, which absolutely can’t be divorced from the reality of war itself. War is not glorious, nor all its participants valorous. War is nothing to be celebrated.
Today we remember. Not to justify, sanctify or glorify, but to acknowledge and to reflect, because real patriotism isn’t self-congratulatory. It’s when you love your Country enough to challenge it to be better.
We recommit ourselves to attaining peace because it’s the only acceptable act of true respect and remembrance there is.
Lest we forget.
[ID: Water colour red poppies onto a textured paper background. Greens logo at the bottom in the middle]