I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.
I also acknowledge all those who have, or continue to serve our nation in uniform, and the families who support them.
Since landing on the beaches of Gallipoli in the early hours of that fateful day in April 1915, Australian troops have been known to back their mates, no matter what.
Always punching above their weight, there are countless tales of Australians doing extraordinary things to preserve the values we hold dear – even half a world away.
I was honoured to represent the Australian Government in France recently for Anzac Day commemorations and wherever we went, the gratitude of the French people shone through for the efforts and sacrifices of the Anzacs, more than a century on.
Many too spoke of Australia’s engagement in the Second World War in the context of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
One of the most important events of World War Two, the morning of 6 June 1944 saw nearly 160,000 Allied troops cross the English Channel as part of the largest amphibious invasion in Military history – the first step in the liberation of France, and the rest of Europe from German occupation.
The contribution of more than 3,000 Australians to this effort can by some be overlooked, but can never be forgotten.
That is why I’m so glad to join you here today to recognise the sacrifice of one of the first Australians killed during the D-Day landings – Sub-Lieutenant Richard Pirrie RAN.
On his 24th Birthday, Sub-Lieutenant Pirrie was in command of a small British spotter boat responsible for neutralising a number of German positions.
Realising the significant impact his little team were having on the offensive, the Germans took their eyes off the main game, instead rounding their guns on this little boat, killing Pirrie and his mates on board with a fatal combination of gunfire and a floating sea mine.
Many reflect on D-Day as a struggle for the British, Americans and Canadians, but the blood of many Australians was also spilled.
Sub-Lieutenant Pirrie was one of more than a dozen Australians who lost their lives on 6 June 1944, hundreds more would be killed over the course of the campaign while flying in support of Allied ground forces in Normandy.
In this 80th anniversary year I’m proud that one of our own will be added to the list of names on the Normandy memorial wall in the UK, alongside the names of 12 others, representing the allied countries who took part in the Battle.
For the families of our troops, alongside mates from other nations who never made it home, this will be a place of pilgrimage and reflection for relatives and descendants who perhaps never had the opportunity to know those long lost to history.
Families like the Pirries who join us today – generously donating Richard’s medals to the centre of Australian Commemoration – the Australian War Memorial – so that Richard’s story, and that of his mates may be remembered for generations to come.
Lest we forget.
