Parramatta will fall silent this Saturday, with hundreds of residents set to honour the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice on Remembrance Day.
At the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month, Australians all around the nation will come together for one of the country’s most important national days of commemoration – Remembrance Day.
The day marks the anniversary of the Armistice, which saw guns on the Western Front fall silent and the end of the First World War in 1918.
Parramatta RSL sub-Branch Secretary Bryan West said it’s important that Australia continues to remember those who have laid down their lives for the country on Remembrance Day.
“There’s going to be a time when we’ll be gone and we want to perpetuate the memory of the sacrifices made by so many men and women so long ago for future generations,” he told Parra News.
“It’s a time of reflection for me, it’s a time when I remember those I’ve served with who’ve passed away, who I personally knew.
“I remember all those from the many wars even from before I was born where people sacrificed their lives for a good cause.”
Fellow Parramatta sub-Branch member Geoffrey Holgate, who served in the air force for six years, said Remembrance Day is a day to recognise every Australian who has served.
“We remember the people that have served and, not only those who have passed away… but those who [continue to] serve as well,” he said.
“It’s a time to think and remember people who have served before us, and who will serve in the future.”
The Parramatta Remembrance Day event will kick off this Saturday at 10.55am at Prince Alfred Square in Parramatta.
Over in Epping, the Remembrance Day event will take place at 10.30am at the Cenotaph in Boronia Park.
With 300 members now a part of the Parramatta sub-Branch, West is hoping that the local Remembrance Day events will also encourage more young people who have served or continue to serve to join up.
“Anyone who has served in the defence force is allowed to join the RSL and we encourage it,” he said.
For West, Remembrance Day gives veterans the opportunity to connect with others who have shared experiences.
“It’s also an occasion where men and women who have served come together, and they may live in different parts of the city or different suburbs but they don’t associate with each other terribly often,” he added.
“But on Remembrance Day and ANZAC they get together and recall the good times and the bad, and they reflect on their service.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.