Poppies placed ahead of Remembrance Day event

Act of remembrance: Daniel Cassar from Phoenix College places a poppy at the base of a tree along the Avenue of Honour last week. Daniel was one of many students to help to make sure each one of the 3600 trees, representing a local life lost during war was acknowledged. Photo: ALISTAIR FINLAY

REMEMBRANCE Day preparations are well underway across the district.

Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour is no exception as students from area schools began the mammoth task of placing a poppy on each of the markers below the 3600 commemorative trees running from the Arch.

Chris Rigg, who was helping with the project, said often trees on the Avenue of Honour held special significance for families of fallen service men and women.

“Each tree planted along here is a way the people who lost their father, or son, from the Ballarat area to have a funereal,” he said.

“A lot of the blokes didn’t come home, so the tree is sacred place for the soldier.”

Students from Phoenix College were among may from local schools who spent two days attaching the poppies along the 22km Avenue of Honour.

“To me it has a significance, because is me helping the community,” said Daniel Cassar, Year 10 student at Phoenix College Ivy Timmins, also in Year 10 at Phoenix College, agreed.

“It’s giving back,” she said.

“We’re showing our appreciation for all those who fought in the war.”

Despite nearly 100 years having passed since arms were laid down and fighting in the Frist World War ended, both Ivy and Daniel are living reminders of the generational links to the 20th century’s major conflicts.

“My par was in World War II and I used to hang out with him a lot and he talked to me about all war stories. So it’s pretty special, really” Ivy said.

Attaching the poppies was first undertaken in 2015 to commemorate 100 years since the start of the First World War.

Now, with 100 years since the first Armistice Day, Mr Rigg said doing it again was a good bookend to WWI centenary events.

Completing the huge undertaking of making sure each plaque gets a poppy was a joint effort by the Avenue of Honour Committee, school students, the Lucas Ladies and Lions and Lionesses clubs in the region.

Mr Rigg said having young people involved in the placing of poppies was part acknowledgement of sacrifice and partly about what the results of those sacrifices mean today.

“If it wasn’t for soldiers, we wouldn’t be standing here today and do what we’re doing,” he said.

“They gave their lives for us to be free and here today. It’s important to remember.”