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News.com.au
28-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Welcome to Country debate reignited as elders hammer Storm over ceremony axing ‘shame'
Wurundjeri women's dance group Djirri Djirri and Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO have issued a joint statement expressing their 'hurt and anger' at the Melbourne Storm's last-minute axing of a Welcome to Country for their NRL ANZAC Day fixture. Murphy, who has performed the Welcome to Country at various Melbourne events for many years, was cut from the pre-game service at the last minute ahead of the Storm's game against the Rabbitohs, in a move that left her 'broken-hearted'. The cancellation came after several people booed the Welcome to Country ceremony at various Dawn Services around Melbourne hours before the NRL game was due to take place. So on Friday afternoon, the Storm contacted Murphy and informed her that her services were no longer required. Just hours later the Storm backflipped on the decision, asking Murphy to continue with her ceremony as originally planned, however, she declined. While two First Nations groups also scheduled to perform also decided to boycott their performances in protest. Despite Murphy opting not to continue as planned, Melbourne ran an Acknowledgement of Country message on the big screens before their Anzac commemoration. Melbourne Storm chairman Matt Tripp has told The Age the club's handling of the Welcome to Country has 'upset me greatly'. 'Once we understood the programming from management, we gave the green light to progress. By then, it was understandably too late for those who had already been informed of our earlier decision,' Tripp said, citing a lack of clarity between the board and management for the confusion. He explained: 'It (the incident) has disappointed me beyond words. 'I am acutely aware of the many different cultures and races we have involved in our football club and our supporter base. 'Like I do with anything within the club, I guard that with my life and I want to protect that at all costs. 'To have a miscommunication deem us as non-sensitive to Welcome to Country and beyond that, a part of Australian customs, that has upset me greatly.' Addressing the ordeal in a joint statement on Saturday evening, Djirri Djirri and Murphy said what should have been a proud occasion instead caused only grief. 'We Djirri Djirri were invited to dance alongside our Mäori Whanau Ngã Matai Púrua Kapa Haka after Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin's Welcome to Country,' the statement released on Saturday night began. 'We arrived at 2:30pm and have been in and out of the change room to rehearse, it has been raining all day and we have multiple babies and kids with us waiting in the rain. 'After our final rehearsal we were approached by Melbourne Storm CEO Justin Rodski saying they are so grateful to have us all dancing together, but tonight the Board doesn't feel comfortable having a Welcome to Country because of what happened in regards to the booing of Uncle Mark Brown at the ANZAC Dawn Service. 'They were also 'happy' for us to still dance to represent the 'Welcome' but we were in shock and disbelief. Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO, a senior Wurundjeri Elder, was told she could not do a Welcome on her own Country, which devastated her as she wanted to honour her father who fought for Australia in World War 1.' The joint statement then goes on to say the Storm's backflip to include them again felt 'tokenistic' and their move goes entirely against the reconciliation process. 'We had a yarn earlier amongst ourselves about staying strong and brave today as it is a lot, to be Blak on our own Country. We spoke with Justin Rodski and executives with all of us,' the statement continued. 'They came back after that discussion and apologised, but after reconsidering we all came to the decision to boycott. 'We strongly regard this as being totally tokenistic and goes completely against their journey of reconciliation and we feel very disrespected. We stand with and follow the directions of our staunch elders. 'What we do isn't a performance, it's cultural ceremony and protocol. We strongly feel this action taken by Melbourne Storm was unnecessary and has caused us hurt and disbelief in what we thought was a good relationship. 'We wanted to be commemorating today with pride, but instead it was pain. Aunty Joy stayed at AAMI Park for the whole of the ceremony for the ANZACs, wearing proudly her father's medals and honouring all the service men and women who fought for our country.' Is the end near for the Welcome to Country ceremonies before sports games? The Welcome to Country is received – and understood – in very different ways by Australians and over the years it has become a highly polarising issue at major events. The Storm say despite what transpired over the weekend they still intend to hold Welcome to Country ceremonies during the NRL's multicultural and Indigenous rounds this season. However, the reality is the Welcome to Country ceremony for many is becoming tiresome. That was a sentiment that opposition leader Peter Dutton shared in Sunday night's leaders debate, labelling the ceremonies 'divisive' and 'overdone'. 'In relation to the Welcome to Country, the first (point) I would make is that is our most sacred day of the year, Anzac Day, and a time to respect diggers and not a time for booing any part of the ceremony,' Dutton said. 'In relation to the Welcome to Country otherwise … (There) is a sense across the community that it is overdone. 'For the opening of parliament, fair enough, it is respectful to do. But for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, I think (a lot) of Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do. 'It divides the country, not dissimilar to what the prime minister did with the Voice (to parliament).'
7NEWS
25-04-2025
- Politics
- 7NEWS
Cane-twirling veteran Colin Moir leads Anzac Day march in Sydney
From major cities to regional towns and suburban centres in between, Australians have gathered to commemorate the nation's veterans on Anzac Day. On the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, tens of thousands of people attended Dawn Services and marches before the more solemn activities gave way to traditional games of two-up at the pub. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Thousands attend Anzac march through Sydney CBD. Veteran serviceman Colin Moir, 102, won hearts as he twirled his cane while leading the 1.2km march alongside Vincent Ball in Sydney. Moir was a member of the 36th Infantry Battalion that served in Papua New Guinea and New Britain during WWII. 'A whisky a day keeps the doctor away,' Moir told the crowd, as reported the Daily Telegraph. Among the crowd at the Sydney Dawn Service was Gwen Cherne and her children, who lost their husband and father Peter to suicide in 2017 after a long and distinguished military career. She now serves as Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner, saying she personally understood the sacrifices of veterans and their families who 'make sure our society doesn't crack'. While the majority of the morning's events were sombre and respectful, a handful were disrupted with interjections, booing and heckling. At Melbourne 's Dawn Service, a self-professed neo-Nazi was arrested after booing and calling out during a Welcome to Country from an Indigenous elder in actions that were widely condemned. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who attended Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, said there was no place for those who disrupted the service. 'A neo-Nazi disrupting Anzac Day is abhorrent, un-Australian and disgraceful,' he said. Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh described the behaviour as disgraceful. A heckler also disrupted a Welcome to Country in Perth during commemorations, while an attendee at the Canberra event shouted 'free Palestine' before the national anthems were played. Bouts of heavy rain in Sydney and Brisbane were no deterrent as large crowds gathered for early services and subsequent parades. Anzac Day, held annually on April 25, recognises the more than 1.5 million Australians who have served in wars and peace operations, including 103,000 who lost their lives. At Elephant Rock on the Gold Coast, a solemn acknowledgement of sacrifice was held with the ashes of veterans who had recently died given a ceremonial burial at sea during one of Australia's most poignant Dawn Services. Albanese, who like his political opponents suspended election campaigning on Friday for the commemorations, said Anzac Day was a day to contemplate the debt today's citizens owed to those who served. 'Each year, we renew our vow to keep the flame of memory burning so brightly that its glow touches the next generation and the generation after that,' he said. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton laid a wreath at a Dawn Service in his electorate of Dickson in Brisbane's northern suburbs, alongside his wife Kirilly. He said commemorations in 2025 were particularly significant, coming on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. 'Barely a city or town, a suburb or street, a community or citizen was unscathed in some way by the catastrophe of that all-encompassing conflict,' Dutton said. Dawn Services and marches across the nation honoured the enduring contributions of service personnel at Gallipoli and the 110 years since, RSL Australia national president Greg Melick said. 'The Gallipoli campaign was the first major military action involving Australian and New Zealand forces,' he said. 'They held their ground against almost impossible odds for eight months in the ravines and gullies of that rugged battleground, suffering terrible casualties. 'They fought with endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, and mateship.' Governor-General Sam Mostyn, whose father served in the army for four decades, is the most senior Australian representative at a Dawn Service at Gallipoli Cove. Services are also being held across many European battlefronts from World War I where Australians fought, including Villers-Bretonneux.
SBS Australia
25-04-2025
- Sport
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Friday 25 April 2025
Service and sacrifice remembered at Dawn Services across the country on ANZAC Day. Australians who are overseas and plan to vote via post for the upcoming federal election are urged to post their ballots now before they miss out. Filipina tennis star Alex Eala falls to World No. 2 Iga Swiatek at Madrid Open. SBS Filipino 25/04/2025 07:18 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino 📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit or stream on , , , and
SBS Australia
25-04-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
How to participate in Anzac Day
Crowds are seen walking up the steps to the Shrine of Remembrance during the Anzac Day Dawn Service in Melbourne on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Source: AAP / CON CHRONIS/AAPIMAGE On 25 April each year, Australians commemorate Anzac Day. It was first marked to honour the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at during the First World War. Nowadays, the commemoration is for all Australians who served and died in war and on operational service. On Anzac Day, Dawn Services are held across the country. They commence at around 4:30am, which is the time of the landing in Gallipoli. The start time can be different in some Australian capital cities. It's a ceremony to remember those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts involving Australia. It's often followed by a Gunfire Breakfast in RSL (Returned and Services League) clubs, which consists of a simple BBQ with sausages, bread rolls, eggs and sometimes, coffee and rum. The name Gunfire Breakfast refers to the breakfast eaten by soldiers the morning before a battle. Later in the morning, veterans marches are also held all over the country. "There are very few Second World War veterans left today and those who are, are well into their 90s. But obviously, there are veterans from subsequent conflicts like Korea and Vietnam, and more modern conflicts like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq where Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen have served,' Brian Dawson, Assistant Director National Collection at Australian War Memorial, explains. "There are also overseas contingents, those who've fought in other wars and have come to Australia." The Dawn Services, Gunfire Breakfasts and marches are organised by RSL Australia, so the best way to know what's going on in your area is to contact your local Veterans and their families will often spend the day at their local RSL. It's a good place to play which you can only be legally played on Anzac Day. It's a simple game where coins are tossed and bets are made on whether they will land on heads or tails. The prize pool money is all the money invested by players. There are a few symbols associated with Anzac Day. People wear a sprig of rosemary on the day, a herb that was growing on the Gallipoli peninsula. Some people have also propagated the lone pine and Gallipoli rose after soldiers brought back seeds from the Gallipoli region. The red poppy is a European native flower that bloomed on battlefields after World War One. It has become a symbol of remembrance of the Australian soldiers who have fallen. The Ode of Remembrance is a poem that is commonly recited at Anzac Day services to commemorate wartime sacrifice. In collaboration with the Australian War Memorial, SBS has recorded translations of the Ode of Remembrance in 45 languages . The is another symbol of the commemoration. The is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda, boiling water, and (optionally) desiccated coconut. It's believed that these biscuits were sent by wives and women's groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients don't spoil easily, and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation. Share this with family and friends Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Nepali-speaking Australians. Stories about women of Nepali heritage in Australia who are about to become parents.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-04-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Anzac Day marches get underway
Our fallen ANZAC heroes have been honoured at Dawn Services across the country. As millions of Australians turned out early to remember the ultimate sacrifice, now thousands will take to the streets, as ANZAC Day marches get underway.
