It's a great pleasure to be back home in Nambour.
And it's a great pleasure to be here at the QUOTA Memorial Park with the Wall of Remembrance.
We are here to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Nambour RSL.
It is, I am told, probably the oldest RSL in existence.
A reminder of how even this little corner of Australia 90 years ago was so affected by war.
And how the community then came together and formed an organisation for returned soldiers.
If the war touched Nambour, it shook Australia greatly.
Over 400,000 Australian enlisted.
Over 300,000 served overseas.
Over 60,000 died.
And this was out of a population of only four million.
It was an extraordinary sacrifice for a country so young.
And one that we must surely remember.
So congratulations to all Nambour RSL members for laying the foundation for the RSL tradition and keeping it going for so long.
Today, to celebrate the 90th anniversary we are here to dedicate this Wall of Remembrance.
The RSL has worked hard to with the local community to commemorate all those men and women from Nambour and the surrounding area who have served with our armed forces.
There are already 280 names on the wall.
They are the names of men and women that have been a part of the great traditions established by the ANZACs.
The traditions of dedication to duty and proud service in the name of their country.
There is no higher calling than to wear the uniform of this country.
And on this wall is the name of people that have answered that calling.
I am proud that my father's name is there on the wall.
He served with the 2/15th Australian Field Company of Royal Australian Engineers.
He served in the Middle East, back in Australia and in the South West Pacific.
After the war, he came here - to Nambour.
And I am still proud to call myself a Nambour boy.
I want to thank the Nambour RSL, QUOTA International and the local community for coming together on this project.
Honouring those who have served is part of who we are as Australians.
It is right to honour them.
Because they served to protect us.
They have protected Australia and have stood for what we believe in.
The stories that our fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers tell us about their experiences are the story of our nation.
Like the stories of the battles in the South West Pacific in 1941 and 1942 when we fighting for the future of this great country.
Australia, with our ally the United States, was fighting for its survival.
Armies manoeuvred, fleets sailed and air forces roamed the skies.
But these military units were all made up of individuals with stories to tell.
People from Nambour and countless other towns around Australia.
People whose stories we should hold dear.
The Memorial Wall will help make sure that our memories do not fade.
The Next Generation
But we need to do more than that to keep the memories alive.
We have to make sure that the stories are passed on to younger generations.
And we hope and pray that it will not be necessary to add the names of future generations to the list of those who gave their lives in war.
I want to thank all the young people here today who are taking part in this event.
The Suncoast Christian College Choir ...
The ADF cadets ...
And the students from Burnside High School, Nambour Christian College, Nambour High School, St John's College and Suncoast Christian College.
I see the values of ANZAC running deep in the veins of young Australians.
So I am confident that the memory of those who have served and the memory of their deeds will live on.
They will live on and will remain a part of the fabric of who and what we are.
Gallipoli, Tobruk, the Kokoda Track and the modern day theatres of the Middle East are an important part of the story of our nation.
Young men and women continue to serve with distinction with our forces at home and overseas.
They follow in the tradition of ANZAC and they build on its name.
Whether as peacekeepers, combat troops or working in any one of a number of support roles, our troops do us proud.
Today we also recognise the role played by the families of those who served.
When they serve, soldiers need the support of families and friends back home.
And when they return home they also need support.
They need the support of their families and they need the support of the wider community.
The RSL does a great job in this.
It helps people make the transition back to civilian life.
And it helps veterans stay in touch with one another - to maintain the ties that were often forged under fire.
So today I would like to congratulate the RSL not only for building the Wall of Remembrance, but for its work over the past 90 years in supporting veterans.
I want to congratulate QUOTA International on the initiative it took more than 10 years ago to establish the Memorial Park.
This event and this memorial are a fitting and dignified tribute to the members of the RSL who have served their nation with distinction.