Honouring the service and sacrifices made by Australians

THIS year marks the 109th anniversary of the landing of Anzac troops at Gallipoli.

Every year Anzac Day serves as a reminder of the sacrifice that those brave men and women made so that we could live in the best country in the world.

I had the privilege of being in Gallipoli in 2015 to attend the 100th anniversary of this occasion, and it is something I will always cherish and remember.

This year I had the great honour of attending St Mary’s Basilica for the Catholic War Veterans Association Mass, as well as the Dawn Service at Eastern Beach.

The service was a fitting reminder of the fact we have been and continue to be served by – and owe so much to – people from such a vast array of backgrounds.

And while Anzac Day is a time to acknowledge the soldiers and nurses who served during World War 1, it is also a time to reflect on the service and sacrifices made by Australians in all wars.

The courage, resilience, determination, care and mateship shown by our soldiers – the Anzac Spirit, as it were – is the stuff of legend.

I know many people attend a dawn service on Anzac Day each year, and many more buy a poppy from the RSL to support our veterans.

We owe a great deal to our defence forces, and this year the projection art program at City Hall aims to showcase some of the men and women who have served and tell their stories.

The imagery will run from dusk until 11pm every night, ending on Sunday 28 April, and includes photography, historical images, paintings, and monuments.

The WW1 honour roll, the involvement of women and volunteer troops, and recent photographs taken by Ian de Gruchy at Gallipoli also feature.

I encourage you to get along to see this moving tribute and reflect on the deeds performed by our defence personnel.

Nature Strip guidelines

Our April council meeting saw the release of our new draft Nature Strip Guideline and Specification.

The new guideline promotes biodiversity while considering public risk and safety and will apply to nature strips on city-managed roads.

The city is responsible for managing nature strips in a way that minimises potential risks to the community and public infrastructure, while supporting the creation of greener spaces.

But we regularly receive requests from residents and businesses for permission to plant within the nature strip adjacent to their house or business.

The city has historically permitted limited landscaping of nature strips however based on community feedback there is a desire to diversify and update the city’s approach to managing nature strips.

So, we are now seeking feedback on our draft Nature Strip Guideline and Specification, which will hopefully provide residents with more options to create beautiful and sustainable nature strip gardens.

The Nature Strip Guideline and Specification provides a suite of suitable plants to encourage local biodiversity throughout the region, in alignment with the city’s biodiversity strategy.

I urge those community members with an interest in this space to provide their feedback from Monday 29 April through to Sunday 2 June.

Cr Peter Murrihy

Brownbill Ward, City of Greater Geelong