'We remember all': Wagga’s Remembrance Day ceremony honours sacrifice of nation’s past and present servicemen and women

The Wagga Wagga community gathered at Victory Memorial Gardens Cenotaph to honour fallen Australian service members on Remembrance Day.

Today (11 November) marks the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting against Germany in World War I, also known as the Great War (28 July, 1914, to 11 November, 1918).

By the end of the war, after the Allied powers claimed victory over the central powers, more than 16 million people had been killed and 21 million others wounded. For Australia, from a population of fewer than five million, more than 416,000 enlisted, of whom 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed or taken prisoner.

Keynote speaker, Commander of Army Aviation Command Major General Stephen Jobson, reflected on the immense pain, anguish, and unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction caused by WWI.

“This was supposed to be the war to end all wars, when the guns would finally go silent. But regrettably, they didn’t,” MAJGEN Jobson said.

“At 1100 hours on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns of the Great War, World War I, fell silent. Around the world and in Australia, the public exuberance of four years previous had long since vanished and had been replaced by immense pain and anguish.

“With its mass artillery, machine guns, gas, and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction.”

MAJGEN Jobson said that since the end of WWI, Australia and other countries had been involved in other conflicts, in which 103,044 of Australia’s service members had died, 225,000 had been wounded and more than 33,000 taken prisoner of war, of whom 8500 died while in captivity.

“Today, we remember all. Sadly, this is not the only circumstance in which Australian service members have died so that we may live in freedom and prosperity,” he said.

“Fifty years ago this year saw the horrible tragedy at sea … the collision between the Royal Australian Navy’s aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and its escorting destroyer, HMAS Voyager.

“The accident is a reminder that the service of our Australian Defence Force members in uniform is not just confined to our wars.

“Whether in combat or peacekeeping, or assisting our communities in times of flood and fire … we remember all of the sacrifices Australian service members have made in all manner and settings.”

MAJGEN Jobson also addressed the issue of veteran and Defence Force suicides.

“A further cohort of service members to be remembered are those who, as a result of their service, succumbed to their psychological injuries through suicide,” he said.

“As we have been advised by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, that figure between 1997 and 2021 alone stands at 1617 confirmed, though there could be in excess of 3000 Australians.

“We remember all of those who, as a result of their service to our nation, have paid the ultimate price in all of the ways, in all of the places, at all of the times.

“We remember the families, friends and communities who have experienced loss and lifetimes of grief, and we remember those who have sustained lifelong, debilitating physical and psychological injuries, as well as those who care for them.”

MAJGEN Jobson asked everyone to reflect on those serving ADF members.

“They stand ready to defend us in an uncertain world,” he said. ”They are taking their place in an unbroken line of more than two million Australians who have made the conscious decision to undertake service for our country.”

The service was attended by veterans, serving personnel, Independent Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr, Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout, and other community members.

Major General Jobson joined the Australian Army in 1989, completing training at the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College, graduating into the Army Aviation Corps. He then completed No. 56 Army Basic Pilot’s Course as a Black Hawk pilot.

Major General Jobson has commanded numerous domestic and international aviation task groups, including humanitarian assistance to Papua New Guinea during the drought of 1997/98 and the disaster response to Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake.

During his command of the 6th Aviation Regiment, he led the Joint Rotary Wing Group formed to respond to the 2010/11 South-East Queensland floods. As Commander of the 16th Aviation Brigade, he led Joint Task Force 646 to support the people of northwest Queensland during the 2019 monsoon flood.

Lest We Forget