Poppy blanket on display

The National Trust Tasmania’s magnificent ANZAC Poppy Blanket will be on display at Parliament House in Hobart for the next month.

During the Tasmanian Heritage Festival over 3000 handmade poppies were knitted by volunteers and displayed in National Trust properties, shop windows and schools as part of a major community commemorative project.

After the festival concluded all the poppies were sewn onto a commemorative blanket as a lasting tribute to the ANZACs.

The blanket, which belonged to William Alan Alderson Dutton, is a Royal Air Force blanket. It was donated by his daughter for the project.

The project is part of the Centenary of ANZAC commemorations and it was my pleasure today, along with the Speaker of the House of Assembly Elise Archer, to accept it for display and to recognise the National Trust’s efforts.

The Centenary of ANZAC runs from 2014 – 2018 and commemorates over 100 years of service and sacrifice by Australian service men and women in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

Tasmanians are encouraged to participate and get involved in this important commemoration.

For some, this will mean learning about the national significance of the occasion, and coming to appreciate the service given and sacrifices made by Australian men and women over the past 100 years. For those with first-hand experience of wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, it will be a chance to share their experience.

An official Centenary of ANZAC website www.centenaryofanzac.tas.gov.au has been developed and is a hub of commemoration activities and information for Tasmanians, and includes:

• an interactive timeline that shows significant Tasmanian and Australian historic dates from wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations since the Federation of Australia in 1901;
• a place for Tasmanians to share and publish untold stories of war, never before seen photos and stowed away memorabilia; and
• a calendar of events that will feature commemoration events being held throughout the Centenary.
Guy Barnett, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier