Floral tribute on Albany beach in memory of Anzac departure

By Aleisha Orr
Updated September 17 2014 - 9:08am, first published 8:34am
Volunteers prepare the poppies for Albany's Anzac memorial.
Volunteers prepare the poppies for Albany's Anzac memorial.


Poppies became a symbol of wartime remembrance after the bright red flowers sprung up after the boots of soldiers churned the soil in the fields of Flanders in western Europe following a bloody battle as part of World War I.

They are worn on Remembrance Day and during Anzac Day marches and will be part of another solemn occasion in Albany when 30,000 of them will adorn Middleton Beach as part of events marking the centenary of the departure of the first ANZAC convoy from Australia starting in late October.

Nursing home residents, school students, individuals and community groups across the Albany region have created 30,000 fake poppies as a visual reminder of the troops who left from Albany.

The flowers will be placed on the beach in the shape of the number 30,000 on October 31 by volunteers and will remain in place across the weekend.

Visitors will also have a chance to make their own poppy to add to the 'Poppies in the Sand' display.

The project was organised by the Middleton Beach Group.

The group's chair Jane Mouritz said the poppies were a way for locals to get involved in the commemorative events taking part in the Great Southern city.

"There are dignitaries coming to town and all sorts of events but people wanted to know how they could be part of the celebrations," she said.

Ms Mouritz said it took "nowhere near" as long as she had initially thought it would to get all 30,000 poppies made because of the willingness of so many people to be involved.

As a result of the enthusiasm about the project, thousands of knitted and crocheted poppies have also been created.

It is expected that there will be 10,000 fabric poppies finished in time for the commemorative events, which will be used to cover model headstones, which will be placed at the Albany Entertainment Centre for that weekend.