SYDNEY HONOURS THE ANZAC LEGACY

Soldiers from across the Sydney region who answered the call to fight in the Great War will be honoured as part of a moving artwork in the Anzac Memorial in Sydney’s Hyde Park. 
 
Minster for Veterans Affairs David Elliott and Shayne Mallard MLC today took samples of soil from the Redfern War Memorial and the Anzac Obelisk in Moore Park. 
 
Soil samples from more than 1,600 sites across NSW where young soldiers enlisted to fight are being collected as part of the Anzac Memorial Centenary Soil Collection project. All soil samples will be placed in the renovated Hall of Service with the name of the town next to them. 
 
“It is a privilege to be involved in this important ceremony to commemorate the sacrifice of those who served their country and contributed to the Anzac legacy,” Mr Elliott said. 
 
“Many Australian soldiers who enlisted to serve our country in World War I came from Sydney and we want to make sure we are commemorating their contribution”.  
 
Mr Mallard said these people will be honoured by taking a sample of soil and placing it in the Hall of Service at the refurbished Anzac Memorial so that it can be appreciated and commemorated by generations to come. 
 
“Diggers from across the Sydney region have made an enormous sacrifice for Australia in foreign conflicts and it is vital that we continue the Anzac spirit and remember their sacrifice”, he said. 
 
The Anzac Memorial Centenary Project Soil Collection is part of the NSW Government’s upgrade of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park during the Centenary of Anzac.  
 
The Anzac Memorial upgrade will be complete in late 2018.