{"id":11628,"date":"2017-07-09T22:29:32","date_gmt":"2017-07-09T12:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fffaif.org.au\/?p=11628"},"modified":"2017-07-10T14:34:52","modified_gmt":"2017-07-10T04:34:52","slug":"flanders-memorial-garden-dedicated-at-the-australian-war-memorial-4-april-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fffaif.org.au\/?p=11628","title":{"rendered":"Flanders Memorial Garden dedicated at the Australian War Memorial 4 April 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
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More than 6 000 Australian soldiers are buried in unknown graves in Flanders fields. Now there is a Flanders Memorial Garden at the Australian War Memorial containing soil from those battlefields, Flanders cemeteries and Australian places that the soldiers knew well.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Flanders<\/a>Flanders Memorial Garden<\/p>\n

Click on images to see more detail [Photos Jim Munro]<\/p>\n

The new garden was dedicated on 4 April, 2017, in a poignant ceremony on a crisp Canberra morning.\u00a0 FFFAIF Patron, His Excellency, General, The Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC and Mrs Cosgrove were special guests of the Chair of the AWM Council, Kerry Stokes AC and the Director of the AWM, Dr Brendan Nelson AO. FFFAIF President, Jim Munro, and Committee members Jill Hayes and Sue Tongue represented the FFFAIF.<\/p>\n

Flanders soil was carried by the Federation Guard in 5 boxes constructed of Tasmanian Blackwood (the same timer used for the coffin of the Unknown Soldier) to lie near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier overnight. The soil was from\u00a0Tyne Cot Cemetery, Menin Gate Ramparts, Polygon Wood, Toronto Avenue Cemetery and Hill 60.<\/p>\n

\"Flanders<\/a> \"Flanders<\/a><\/p>\n

There were many memorable parts of this event. The\u00a0 welcome to country,\u00a0 and later smoking ceremony, conducted by Ngunnawal Elder Tina Brown, created a profound sense of the importance of ground \u2013 Australia\u2019s ancient land, the battlefields and the new garden.<\/p>\n

The soil from Flanders was carried to the garden and deposited in the solemn ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"Flanders<\/a>\"Flanders<\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

Mr Verlaeckt,\u00a0The Secretary-General of the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs placing some of the Flanders soil in the Memorial Garden – click on images to see more detail<\/p>\n

The Australian soil was collected from sites of significance in each Australian state and territory and local timber of significance was used for the boxesin which it was carried. The soli was from:<\/p>\n