IN THE lead-up to the Anzac Day Eve match between Melbourne and Richmond, Shrine of Remembrance chief executive officer Dean Lee speaks to Melbourne Media about the Shrine on Anzac Day, the purpose of the Shrine and the importance of the game …

Football’s role on Anzac Day Eve/Anzac Day

Matt Burgan: Thanks for your time Dean. This will be the fourth consecutive Anzac Day Eve between Melbourne and Richmond. What do you make of this now annual match?

Dean Lee: I think the Anzac Eve contest between Richmond and Melbourne has really come to epitomise much of the spirit of what we’re seeking to have our community have share with us, as we move into commemoration of our nation’s most significant day.

MB: Pre-match has become a key part of the event. The Creswick Light Horse is one significant part of it. How important is it to have, for example, the Light Horse riding into the MCG from the Shrine?

DL: I think it’s quite remarkable – what’s been planned by Melbourne and Richmond. Gaining the support of the Creswick Light Horse, who gather the flame from the eternal flame on the forecourt on the Shrine – and carry it with pride through the streets of Melbourne – to arrive at the MCG is a most heartening thing to observe.

MB: Melbourne and Richmond have a strong connection with those who served at war. How important is it that football clubs are involved in commemorating Anzac Day?

DL: To cast your mind back to the beginning of the First World War, over 114,000 Victorians answered the call to act in defence of the British Empire. That called upon people from all walks of life. Melbourne’s football clubs gave many of their best members to that service – you couldn’t hold them back. Among those clubs, Melbourne Football Club is one whose many great soldiers went on to fight for this country. And not just in the past, but in more recent times – Ron Barassi [Jnr] comes to mind, who for many years has been a strong supporter of the Shrine.

MB: Collingwood and Essendon have played on Anzac Day every year since 1995. How has Anzac Day changed since then?

DL: Since its inception, Anzac Day has always had a mixed routine of activities – from the sombre and solemn commemorative aspect of the Dawn Service through to the march and then followed by sport in the afternoon. So, from the very foundations of commemoration of Anzac, sport has been an integral part in that. There is no doubt that the football matches played across the Anzac Day period really do embody that spirit and that community’s willingness to commemorate [Anzac Day].

MB: What role do you believe football plays on Anzac Day Eve and Anzac Day?

DL: I think that Anzac Day means so much to our nation. It’s very clear that those in the football community draw incredible inspiration from the spirit, humanity and mateship, which exists, but also the willingness to engage with each other on that football field. I think it’s heartening that those who play football on Anzac Eve really draw upon the spirt of the original Anzacs and they commit themselves to engage in that game. But they do so in honour of those who serve to create the nation that we’re so fortunate to live in today.

The Shrine on Anzac Day

MB: Can you offer an insight into the Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Shrine?

DL: This year’s Dawn Service will be different to previous years. We’re in the final year of the Anzac centenary and the veterans from recent conflicts will be leading the march.

MB: What’s different about Anzac Day at the Shrine this year?

DL: This year, the march will be led by veterans from recent conflicts. Among those will be father and son, Martin and Darren Grogan. They’ll be leading the march, and in many ways, they’ll reflect the service, which occurred 100 years ago, between those veterans of the First World War and those who went to serve in the Second World War – fathers and sons, across generations who have engaged in conflict.

MB: What other activities will be held at the Shrine on Anzac Day this year?

DL: We have a full program of activities at the Shrine on Anzac Day, commencing at 6am with the Dawn Service. That’s followed at about 8:15am by an official wreath laying ceremony and then there is the march, which starts at Swanston St, and starts arriving at the Shrine at 9:30am.

MB: How would you describe the feeling at the Shrine on Anzac Day?

DL: Anzac Day is without doubt, the most significant commemorative day on the Australian calendar. To stand with 50,000 other Victorians in the still, chill, cold of night – in silence – and look out upon the city of Melbourne, as the sun gradually brings light across our city – is one of the most moving experiences any Australian can have. It’s also the most appropriate way that they can pay their respect to those who have served their nation.

MB: What would you say to someone who hasn’t attended a Dawn Service or is considering it for the first time this year?

DL: Every Anzac Day is significant. Over the past four years, the nation has been marking the centenary of the First World War [and] 2018 is the Anzac Day, which marks the final year of the Anzac centenary. I would encourage all Victorians and all Australians to come to the Shrine on Anzac Day to take part in this commemorative service, and pay their personal respects to those who created the nation and served the nation that we’re so fortunate to live in today.

MB: What should people know in preparation for attending this year’s Dawn Service at the Shrine?

DL: Anyone coming to the Shrine on Anzac Day, should plan ahead to be at the Shrine nice and early. There is some great transport provided by Yarra Trams and other [transport] providers, and that’s the best way to get here on that day. I suggest people get here early and as the weather can be inclement – [it’s] always a good idea to rug up.

The flame begins its journey to the MCG

The purpose of the Shrine of Remembrance

MB: What do you think the Shrine means to Melbourne?  

DL: The Shrine has always been Melbourne’s most iconic building, set on the hill, looking out across the bay. In recent years, through the development of the Galleries of Remembrance, we’re now attracting a new audience to commemorate service and sacrifice. Each year, for the past three years, over one million people have joined us at the Shrine, as part of our education and learning programs, to understand the meaning of Anzac and to understand that this building and this place remains significant for all of us in Victoria.

MB: How have you seen the Shrine evolve?

DL: Many people tell me they’ve been to the Shrine, but often it simply means that they came as a school student. In recent years, we’ve been working to attract Melburnians back to their Shrine, so they can understand the enlarged experience that is on offer. There is over 2,500 square metres of exhibition space that has been added beneath the Shrine monument, telling the story of Victorians’ service, before the First World War, through to the current day. Most recently, we’ve done a major upgrade on our galleries, recognising service in the middle east – in those conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. [It’s] a chance to learn firsthand about what modern veterans are experiencing and how they are helping to protect our nation.

MB: How important is it for the Shrine to recognise modern conflicts?

DL: The Shrine was created with a spirit of optimism. It was about remembrance for what had gone before. But as we know, the First World War – the Great War – was not the war to end all wars. Since that time, our nation has continuously been involved in defending Australia. In this recent period, we know that service is not something, which has happened in the past – it’s something that is happening today. Recent era veterans are the ones who are in the coalface, right now, protecting our nation today. It’s important that the Shrine plays a role in supporting them and their recognition in our community.

MB: The Shrine is a symbolic place. Can you offer an insight into some of those symbols?

DL: From it’s very foundations in 1934, the Shrine has been a place of symbols and meaning. In these most recent developments that occurred in 2014, we continue that tradition of storytelling. Deep within these walls are many symbols. This includes names of those towns scattered throughout Victoria, from which men came to serve in conflict. The smaller names are of those with smaller towns and the larger names are of those with larger populations.

MB: The Shrine offers some magnificent views of the city. Some are particularly pertinent. Can you offer an insight into the role they play?

DL: At dawn on Anzac Day, the official party gathers and looks out upon the northern forecourt of the Shrine, across over 50,000 people in attendance. It is silent, it is dark and it is still. As the sun rises, the face of [Indigenous leader William] Barak becomes visible to us at the other end of Swanston St. It’s quite meaningful that the first light of the day falls upon the first people of this place, where we are standing.

MB: On a personal level, what does it mean to be CEO of the Shrine?

DL: For all of us who serve at the Shrine, it is a privilege to come to this place and to serve the community in upholding the memory of Australia’s honoured service men and women. Each day, as you approach the Shrine, you feel the privilege and the responsibility that you hold to this community. I’m fortunate to work with a marvellous team of employees and over 120 Victorian volunteers in upholding the tradition of remembrance.

MB: What are some of the most moving moments you’ve had in your role at the Shrine?

DL: The Shrine is a place of deep meaning, and that meaning has many layers. But it’s personal meaning to families is the one that has the greatest impact on those of us who are fortunate enough to work here. In recent times, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce families to the names of their forebears, recorded in the books of remembrance. For these people, it is an affirmation of their identity and of their family’s service. You cannot help but be touched by that direct personal connection.

MB: If you could summarise your thoughts on the Shrine of Remembrance, what would they be?

DL: It’s heartening, 84 years after the foundation of the Shrine, that today more than 2,500 people come every day of the year to this place – to engage in commemoration, to learn about service and sacrifice, and to take with them a message of how important those historical actions are – for remembering the past, but also to keep us connected with those who fight in defence of our nation today.

MB: Thank you for your time Dean. It’s been greatly appreciated.

DL: My pleasure.