Ballarat has some of the most important commemorative features in Australia. From older memorials like our historically significant Avenue of Honour to more recent memorials such as the Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial and the recently opened Garden of the Grieving Mother, our city pays proper tribute to those who have served Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
These permanent memorials are an important part of our city’s observance of Anzac Day.
Along with the cenotaph, they are the places where we gather together to honour the thousands of local people who sacrificed time with their families and friends – and sometimes even their lives – for our community and nation.
These important memorials will always be a part of Ballarat.
But behind each of these memorials are the individual stories of remarkable people from our region.
They are stories of shared commitment and dedication to the freedom of all Australians.
And all too often, stories of loss and grief.
Many of these stories are well known – they are the stuff of legend.
Others have been lost among the momentous histories of the time.
One of the stories with particular relevance to this year’s Anzac Day commemorations is that of the World War I transport ship, the Ballarat.
The HMAT Ballarat departed from Melbourne on February 19, 1917 bound for England.
Aboard the Ballarat were soldiers from around Australia – and of course, some from the Ballarat region.
On April 25, 1917 – shortly before a memorial service on board to mark the first landing at Gallipoli two years earlier – the Ballarat was torpedoed by a German submarine, just as the ship approached the English Channel.
The torpedo did not immediately sink the Ballarat.
And according to the New York Times of May 3, 1917, as the soldiers and sailors on board waited to be rescued, they sat on the deck together, playing cards and singing some songs.
Down in the engine room, the commanding officer of Ballarat provided cheering words to the soldiers around him.
The New York Times reports him as repeatedly saying: “It’s all right lads, I was in water myself two years ago.”
In 1915 he was aboard the Southlands en route to Gallipoli, the first Australian troopship to be torpedoed.
Fortunately, everyone on board the Ballarat was rescued, some four hours after the torpedo struck.
After being delivered to England by British Navy destroyers, the soldiers formerly aboard the Ballarat went on to fight as far from home as Belgium.
Today, those from Ballarat who served Australia in World War I are recognised along our Avenue of Honour.
And those that were aboard the transport ship Ballarat are among them.
As we gather at our significant local memorials, we must remember we are part of a long tradition of honouring the sacrifice of Australians at war.
And this Anzac Day, 100 years after the event, we are joining with those aboard the Ballarat, who held a memorial service on April 25 to mark the first landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli.
Sharon Knight is the state member for Wendouree.
