On Thursday,several thousand observers gathered to pay their respects to more than 102,000 Australians who lost their lives to wars,conflicts and peacekeeping operations since Federation. It was the first large crowd to gather at the Shrine in many long months.
Bunurong elders Uncle Shane Clarke and Uncle Mik Edwards performed a smoking ceremony and offered a Welcome to Country,lighting eucalyptus leaves and other native flora from the eternal flame in the Shrine’s forecourt before bathing guests and grounds in cleansing smoke.
It was a coming together of experiences;the first time either ceremony had been held during Remembrance Day commemorations at the Shrine.
Uncle Mik welcomed the gathered crowd.
“I pay my deepest respects to all elders here today,no matter which family tree you come from,no matter which part of Mother Earth you come from,” he said.
At this place designed to honour the more recent past,Uncle Mik urged all Australians to remember the First Nations people who came from earlier times,and to be aware of the history beneath their feet.