PM Transcripts

TEL
PRIME MINISTER 115/ 93
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING MPR
ENTOMBMENT OF THE UNKNOWN AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER AN EVENT
OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE
I am pleased today to formally declare the funeralI and entombment of the
Unknown Australian Soldier in the Australian War Memorial on 11 November
1993 an event of national importance.
The ceremony, timed to mark the 75th Anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, will
be the most significant commemorative event in the history of the Memorial
since it opened on Armistice Day 1941. Surviving Australian veterans of the
first world war will participate in the ceremonies providing a unique
opportunity for the nation to honour them and to remember all Australians
who have fought and died in war.
Assisted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and officials from
the Australian Funeral Directors' Association, the Australian War Memorial
will recover the remains of an unknown soldier irom one of the many
battlefields cemeteries in France. It was this area where Australia suffered Its
largest number of casualties in the first world war. The Tomb in the
Memorial's Hall of Memory is intended to symbolise all Australians who have
died in war, and to provide a central point for national remembrance.
A national telecast of the event will be provided by the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation. All Australians, wherever they may be, are
encouraged to participate. They may attend thi) funeral in Canberra, take
part in their local Remembrance Day ceremony or watch the ABC broadcast.
I ask all Australians to join in the observation o1 the traditional two minutes
silence at 1 1: 00am on 11 November.
CANBERRA 18 OCTOBER 1993 T1EL8: . Oct. 93 15: 50 No. 022