E&OE
23 April 2009
Interview: Foreign Minister Stephen Smith at Lone Pine Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsula.
Subject: Gallipoli visit.
MR SMITH: Well I don't think they are too many families in Australia who in some way haven't been touched by what occurred at Gallipoli, and it's the first time I've been able to see my great uncle recorded on the Lone Pine Memorial. He was last seen on the beach on Anzac day 1915, one the first arrivals and so his name is amongst the many thousands recorded. In fact behind me you see one of the graves recording an actual burial, the rest symbolise or signify the fact that so many died at Anzac Cove and at Gallipoli that their bodies were never recovered and their graves aren't marked.
JOURNALIST: Is this your first visit to Gallipoli?
MR SMITH: It's my first visit to Gallipoli. I have to say I'm very honoured, on this occasion, on the 94th commemoration services for Anzac Day, very honoured to lead the Australian delegation. I'm looking very much forward tomorrow, on Friday to going to the international commemorations for the Turks, the French, the Commonwealth forces and then of course on Saturday, on Anzac Day itself, the dawn service and then the memorial here for Australians at Lone Pine. So it's a great honour and I think Anzac Day these days not just commemorates the sacrifice and the contribution Australian servicemen and women made throughout Australia's history but I think these days it's also a celebration of our national characteristics and values and virtues so much of which emerged from Gallipoli itself.
This was the first occasion that Australian regarded themselves as fighting together as Australians and some of our great values and virtues emerged from that; a sense of humour in adversity, the notion of looking after your mate, the notion that no matter how badly placed you might be there's always someone worse off than you, and of course the great Australian notion of a fair go. So whether it's at Gallipoli itself, or whether it's in small country towns or capital cities in Australia Anzac Day these days is commemoration of sacrifice and contribution but also a celebration of our value and virtues.
JOURNALIST: (Indistinct)
MR SMITH: Well it makes it feel real for you. It's my father's uncle, my great uncle, one of two members of his family who died in the course of the First World War. My other great uncle died three years and a day less at Villers Bretonneux in France and I was there last year as well. But you find the personal and family contact here and of course at the time there was barely an Australian family not touched by the tragedy of the loss of life here. So I think any Australian who comes here is emotionally and spiritually touched by the surroundings and when you find a small piece of your own family history it makes it all that more real.
[ENDS]
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