Page 4120 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 20 September 2011

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to the Dutch East Indies under the UN Commission in Indonesia … Over the last few years a proposal has been developing that a Peacekeeping Memorial should be built in the national capital Canberra to honour all those who have and will continue to serve on peacekeeping operations. This includes those from the Australian Defence Force, the Federal, State and Territory Police Forces, and Government Agencies who have served and died on peacekeeping operations commanded or authorised by the United Nations or sanctioned by the Government of Australia.

This proposal has now been developed into the Australian peacekeeping memorial project and a committee has been formed to develop the proposal. The vision is to create a national memorial that will appropriately honour the sacrifice of Australian peacekeepers in the service of international peace and security and recognise the courage and professionalism of Australian peacekeepers in the face of the particular challenges of their operations. The memorial will be the focus for recognising the continuing significant contribution by Australians to international peacekeeping.

The objectives of the peacekeeping memorial project include erecting a memorial in Canberra by Australian Peacekeepers Day on 14 September 2012 that appropriately recognises the sacrifice and continuing contribution of Australians to international peacekeeping, and to develop appropriate design criteria and guidelines that meet the requirement of the Canberra National Memorials Committee and fittingly represent the Australian past and present peacekeeping role in the world.

I would like to commend the committee for their work and their effort. The patron and ambassador of the committee is her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. The patrons are John Sanderson, an ex-Chief of Army, Geraldine Doogue and Tony Negus from the Australian Federal Police. Matina Jewell is an ambassador. The committee chairman is Major General Tim Ford and the vice- chairman is Major General Ian Gordon. Ian Gordon was the MC on the day; he did a splendid job as the MC on 14 September. Other members of the committee are Philip Southam, Cleon Walters, Warren Lewis, David Wilkinson, Fred McArdle, David Vinen, Bob Craine, Alison Creagh, who is the ADF representative, Frank Prendergast, Graham Rayner, Paul Copeland, Denis Percy, Ron Walker and Gary Brodie.

I congratulate the committee on organising a great function and a great ceremony on 14 September. I wish them well with their endeavours in establishing a peacekeeping memorial by the peacekeeping day on 14 September 2012.

Dr Peter Sharp AM

September 11 commemoration

Lanyon high school restaurant

MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (6.20): I would like to echo the words of the Chief Minister about Dr Peter Sharp. He was a truly wonderful man and he made a significant and immense contribution to the ACT community. I dare say he would be worthy of a condolence motion here in the Assembly; that might be something worth considering—obviously, in consultation with his family.


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