Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan said 2017 would
feature a number of significant military commemorations
to recognise the service and sacrifice of the men and
women who have fought to defend our country.
Registration to attend overseas commemorations is now open and passes
are provided at no cost. Details on how to register are
available on DVA’s website at
www.dva.gov.au. Passes are not required to attend
domestic commemorations.
In Australia, commemorations will be held for 75th
anniversaries of Second World War events, the Fall of
Singapore, the Battle of the Coral Sea, Bomber Command
operations, the Battle of Milne Bay, the Battle of El
Alamein and the culmination of the North Africa
campaigns, and Kokoda and the Beachheads. A
commemoration will also be held to recognise the 70th anniversary
of the contribution made by Australian peacekeepers and
peacemakers around the world.
Overseas, Australia will commemorate the 100th
anniversaries of the Battle of Bullecourt in France, the
Battle of Polygon Wood in Belgium and the Battle of
Beersheba in Israel from the First World War.
The Australian Government will support Anzac Day Dawn
Services in France, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Thailand
and Borneo in 2017.
On 25 April, the commemoration of the Centenary of
the Battle of Bullecourt will be recognised in a service
at the ‘Digger Memorial’ in the Australian Memorial Park
in Bullecourt. More than 1,100 Australians were taken
prisoner during the Battle of Bullecourt — the largest
number captured in a single engagement during the First
World War.
A commemoration to mark the Centenary of the Battle
of Polygon Wood will be held at Buttes New British
Cemetery in Zonnebeke, Belgium on 26 September 2017.
Polygon Wood was one of five battles in which
Australians were involved as part of the larger British
and dominion offensive known as the Third Battle of
Passchendaele. In eight weeks of fighting there were
38,000 Australian casualties.
On 31 October 2017, in Israel, a commemoration will
recognise the 100th anniversary of the Battle
of Beersheba, and the famous charge of the 4th
Light Horse Brigade. At sunset on 31 October 1917, the
light horsemen charged the Turkish lines using their
bayonets as swords; the momentum of the surprise attack
carried them through the Turkish defences and more than
1,000 prisoners were taken.
In 2017 Australia will also mark its other days of
national commemoration including Battle for Australia
Day, Merchant Navy Day and Remembrance Day.
“As a nation we continue to honour the service and
sacrifice of the men and women who have served in
defence of our nation,” Mr Tehan said.
“It is incredibly moving to stand on a foreign field
where Australians have fought and died for our values
and reflect on the enormous debt we owe to the men and
women who serve in our military.
“Many Australians will be planning overseas trips
this year to attend a commemoration service and pay
their respects and I encourage them to register early.”
A list of key domestic and international
commemorations for 2017 is attached.
Date |
Commemoration |
Location |
15 February 2017 |
75th
Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore |
Ballarat, Victoria |
25 April 2017
|
Anzac Day Canberra
Anzac Day Turkey
Anzac Day France
Anzac Day PNG
Anzac Day Thailand
Anzac Day Borneo
Anzac Day Belgium
Centenary of the Battle of Bullecourt
|
Australian War Memorial
Gallipoli, Turkey
Villers-Bretonneux, France
Isurava, PNG
Hellfire Pass, Thailand
Sandakan, Borneo
Ypres, Belgium
Bullecourt, France
|
4 May 2017 |
Battle of Coral Sea Day |
Australian War Memorial |
4 June 2017 |
75th
anniversary of Bomber Command Operations |
Australian War Memorial |
25 August 2017 |
75th
anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay |
Australian War Memorial |
14 September 2017 |
70th
anniversary Australian Peacekeepers and
Peacemakers |
Anzac Parade, Canberra |
26 September 2017 |
Centenary of the Battle
of Polygon Wood, Passchendaele |
Zonnebeke, Belgium |
23 October 2017 |
75th
anniversary of the start of El Alamein |
Australian War Memorial |
31 October 2017 |
Centenary of the Battle
of Beersheba, Sinai Palestine Campaign |
Be’er Sheva, Israel |
2 November 2017
|
75th
anniversary of Kokoda and the beachheads |
Australian War Memorial
|