A NATION FALLS SILENT

IT’S TIME TO GIVE THANKS AND REFLECT ON OUR FORTUNE

Aussies across the country will stop for a moment’s silence at 11am today to mark Remembrance Day. Some will also lay wreaths at cenotaphs across the country.

I intend to reflect for a few moments on the good fortune I have experienced because countless soldiers in present and past conflicts fought for our right to live as we please.

I am bringing a child into a country of peace when many others do not have that option.

A group of World War I soldiers felt responsible for the families of fallen comrades.

They began Legacy, a charity dedicated to helping the families of those who died on foreign shores or back at home after their service.

After speaking to three widows whose husbands served over three generations of conflict and peacekeeping, it is clear it is still a much-needed charity.

Legacy continues to assist about 65,000 widows and widowers across the country.

That figure alone imbibes some new meaning into those Legacy badges that find their way to shopping centre trestle tables and pop-up market stalls.

And a group taking advantage of its democratic right to speak up is legendary rockers Midnight Oil.

The band members have mounted a protest against the proposed Adani coal mine that has become a talking point for the Queensland state election.

Read more about the band’s perspective in this Weekend.