Honouring Remembrance Day at Springvale and Brighton
Every year on November 11 we commemorate Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the moment in 1918 when the gunfire on the Western Front fell silent and the Great War ended.
At Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, our sites are the final resting place for many Australian servicepeople, and we are privileged to honour their legacy. Remembrance Day is always an important day of commemoration, and this year events were held at both Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Brighton General Cemetery to remember and honour the sacrifices of service personnel.
The Returned Servicemen’s League (RSL) held their annual State RSL Remembrance Day Service on Sunday 10 November at the Australian War Graves Garden of Remembrance. Dignitaries including state government representatives and local members, along with members of SMCT’s Trust and executive leadership team, joined 500 attendees as they observed the minute’s silence and the Last Post in memory of all those who fell in the line of duty.
At Brighton General Cemetery, the Brighton Cemetorians held a flag raising ceremony on Friday 8 November. The Flag Project is an initiative on behalf of the Cemetorians that honours servicepeople on special commemoration days throughout the year. Australian flags are placed on the graves and memorials of select servicepeople with the aim of eventually honouring and telling the stories of all servicepeople who are resting at Brighton.
These events prove the connection that many in communities across Victoria hold for fallen soldiers across history and conflicts. SMCT is honoured to be a space for these connections to be honoured and respected on days of important reflection such as Remembrance Day.