E&OE………………………………………………………………………………………
Sir Roden Cutler, Ted Kenna, Keith Payne, John and Valerie Howse, Your Worship the Mayor of Orange, my parliamentary colleague, Peter Andren, the Federal Member for Calare, Mr Russell Turner, the State Member for Orange, other very distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I think it is a wonderful way to mark this very commemorative, very important, commemorative stamp issue by Australia Post. To assemble the local community in which the first recipient as an Australian of the Victoria Cross lived the greater part of his life. We’ve seen a marvelous representation a few moments ago of the circumstances in which Neville Howse won his Victoria Cross in South Africa. And we’ve also been reminded, by reason of this ceremony taking place here in the beautiful city of Orange, of how there were three phases in his life.
There was the phase that won him the Victoria Cross. There was the phase of his life that involved service in the medical profession here in the city of Orange, as well as in the Australian military forces, and there was also the phase of his life that involved public service as Mayor and later as the Federal Member and as a Minister in a number of portfolios in the Bruce Page government.
It was a very rich and courageous life but the same of course can be said ladies and gentlemen of all of those 96 Australians who won the Victoria Cross, 91 of them serving in Australian units and five of them serving in British units and each of them is a remarkable tale of valour. And this great gathering today is I think indicative of the growing pride and the growing affection that Australians all over our great country have for the past achievements of our heroes.
We do fling the words “famous” and “heroic” around rather freely, sometimes a little too freely. But today it is no hyperbole, it is no exaggeration, it is no flight of rhetoric to say that we are in the presence of three famous and heroic men.
Those who sacrificed their lives defending Australian freedom. Those who put their lives on the line with reckless indifference to the outcomes, which you have to do in order to win a Victoria Cross, deserve our very special honour and reverence.
A grateful nation, a free nation, cannot heap enough praise and respect on those who have distinguished themselves with such incredible valour on the battlefields. You examine the story of each of them, three here today, one Neville Howse represented by his son, you examine the stories, one we’ve been told in South Africa. One during the Syrian campaign in the case of Sir Roden Cutler. Then Ted Kenna’s courageous exploits in New Guinea and the last Victoria Cross winner, Keith Payne, who’s magnificent and courageous exploits in the jungles and the fierce battles and exchanges of Vietnam.
Each of them is separate but each of them a very special story. Each of them returns from their military service to give in different ways to their communities. In sporting, in community, in ambassadorial, in community and in vice regal service.
It matters not in defence to enumerate every single post military deed of these men. But rather to acknowledge having done their duty beyond the reasonable call of any for their country on the battlefield, they came back, they rebuilt their lives, they raised families, they gave of their best to their communities, in one case very specially to a sport, beloved of many Australians, and together they represent the very best in the Australian tradition. They were loyal. They were brave. They were indifferent to their own interests. They helped save a very grateful nation. They deserve the honour that is commemorated today. Each of them, along with the other 92, deserve a special place in the history and the national psyche and affection of this country.
There is something very special about a Victoria Cross. To me and I think to every Australian it stands above every other single award that might be given. It is greater than an office that people might hold for a period of time. It is greater than a title. It is a greater than an order of corporate Australia or sporting Australia can give. It really is the greatest honour of all, because what is respects is the willingness of an Australian to sacrifice, if necessary everything, in the service of his fellow country men and women.
And that is what we have done today. We have honoured those 96 Australian men. We hope and we pray that the circumstances will never arise again in which awards of this kind are given. And as we honour these men today we reflect on what their deeds have done for us. We reflect on the sacrifices of those who died in the defence of this country. We have a very rich and special military tradition. A tradition not seeking to impose our will on others but merely to defend what we believe is right and just and that has always been the Australian military tradition and everyone of those 96 were doing just that.
A grateful nation again says thank you. We are so grateful that we have 3 of them amongst us today. We feel a special contact with the history of this country. A particular presence of that history to have the three of them amongst us and we honour them in a very special way, in a very Australian way. We thank you, all of you, for the great commitment you’ve made, the great mateship you’ve displayed under fire to your fellow Australians.
And I want particularly also to thank Graeme John and those in Australia Post. I want to thank the Headmaster of School Councillors of the Kinross Wolaroi School. I want to thank the cadet units for the magnificent job they did. I want to thank the Mayor for the magnificent weather that he provided. He tells me that it’s his own personal gift and I want to thank you my fellow Australians for turning up in your hundreds, indeed thousands, to be a very special part of this important ceremony and to share for a moment on this beautiful Sunday morning an opportunity to honour, through the presence of three of them, 96 of the very greatest Australians of all.
Thank you.