As the clock strikes 8pm each and every night, Menin Gate stands still.
Traffic is stopped in the streets surrounding the Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium, as the solemn notes of the Last Post ring out, played by buglers stationed under the Memorial's arches.
This ceremony commemorates the service and sacrifice of thousands of Australian and other allied forces who passed through the gate on their way to the battlefields of Ieper (Ypres) in the First World War, many of whom never returned.
I'm honoured to have had the opportunity to witness this poignant ritual that's been undertaken each and every day since 1928, its only interruption the German occupation of Ieper (Ypres) in the Second World War.
Thanks to the Australian Government, funding for the Last Post Association, who have undertaken this ceremony for almost a century has been secured for another three years.
More than $120,000 has been allocated by the Australian Government to safeguard the ANZAC legacy beyond our shores for generations to come, with funding allocated not only to preserve the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony, but the Bougainville Memorial in Papua New Guinea, the Australian Light Horse Monument in Be'er-Sheva, Israel, and the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces badge at Fovant Downs, in the United Kingdom.
These memorials safeguard the legacy of Australia's veterans across the globe, ensuring they will not be forgotten.
The Australian Government is committed to honouring the sacrifices of our brave service personnel, in perpetuity, both at home and overseas. We will remember them.
