My great uncle was killed in action in Belgium (1917). My grandfather was at the fall of Singapore and taken as a prisoner of war on the Burma railway. Both men served our country and fought for their lives and ours. They will never be forgotten. But I want to reflect on another duty that our Defence Forces are often called on to help with. Disaster recovery.
My son who is in the Army has been posted to numerous recovery efforts from extreme weather events which have been linked to climate change. He served in NSW last year where flooding affected numerous lives and properties and is currently serving overseas to help villages recover from freak hurricanes which have destroyed pacific island villages.
I am not trying to compare war with climate change, but the reality is that in both instances, our way of life and future generations hang in the balance. Our sons and daughters go off to fight a battle that we ourselves helped create. They leave their homes and families behind to go off to a different town, state or country to help distraught communities who have been affected by the results of the continued rise of global surface temperatures from greenhouse gas emissions.
As we fall silent and remember those that have served our countries in conflict and peacekeeping missions around the world, I ask that you also give thought to those that are serving around the world on disaster recovery duties and reflect on our own response to climate change.
