Shrine of Remembrance

Today we took a trip into Melbourne to explore The Shrine of Remembrance.

On our walk up to the Shrine we discovered a memorial to Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop 1907-1993

 After having a look and a read we continued our way up the road crossed Anzac Avenue and up to The Shrine.

Together we walked through The Shrine Reserve and enjoyed the Remembrance Trees and gardens.  There are 100 trees on 13 hectares of land.  We passed the Flags of Remembrance which are located on the eastern arm of the Second World War Forecourt and consists of three flagstaffs. This is where the final ceremonial activity of each days takes place at the Shrine.  At 5 pm the flags are lowered and the Last Post bugle call is played.

We decided to partake in the Summer School Holiday Program (which runs until 27 January 2013) and do the Shrine Remembrance Children's Tour.

First stop was at the information desk to collect our booklet.  It is full wonderful bits of information and takes you on a nine station tour of the Shrine exploring and discovering all sorts of information.

As we walked through the courtyard we explored the walls which are in the shape of trenches and upon the wall we read "Lest We Forget" As we walked into the Shrine we came upon the Gallery of Medals.  This wall has 4 000 medals which represent Victorians who have served as well as those who have died. We also learned about the Victorian Cross and that only 98 have been awarded to Victorians since 1856.

The next two stations were The Changi Flag and The Crypt where we saw the Father and Son statue as well as the 'colours' of World War I and World War II.

Our next station was The Sanctuary where we watched a reenactment of what happens on Remembrance Day every year on the 11 November at 11 am. The sun shines through a hole in the roof and moves across the Stone of Remembrance upon which the words "Greater Love hath No Man" are inscribed.  Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the Great War and is in memory of those who have suffered, served or died in all wars. 

Next we visited the balcony and the children enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies.

It was a wonderful day and we really enjoyed our time here. The exterrior is also filled with meaning and history.

If you are studying Australian History I recommend the Lest We Forget Virtual Australian First World War Museum and The Shrine of Remembrance website.

"ANZAC is not merely about loss

it is about courage and endurance

and duty and love of country,

and mateship, and good humour

and the survival of a sense of self-worth

and decency in the face of dreadful odds."

-The Shrine of Remembrance-

Blessings

St James Old Cathedral

We visited Melbourne's oldest church last week Thursday after seeing the Narnia Exhibition.

This wooden cross is on top of the baptismal font in front of the church.  It was a gift from Queen Victoria and brought by La Trobe.  It was the baptismal font from St Katherine's Abbey, London.

Baptismal Font

This was Melbourne's Cathedral from 1848 - 1891

Beautiful stain glass windows line all the walls in this church and the lady who heads up the archives is a fountain of knowledge about each one.

The woodwork is just amazing.  Even more interesting was the old organ in the church.  One of the gentleman came and played it for us and allowed the children a turn.

The detail in the archetecture was a delight and we spent a good two hours exploring.

More on the www

• Wikipedia
• Vicnet
• Walk Melbourne

Do you have any interesting buildings nearby ?

Blessings

2012 Melbourne Town Hall Christmas Projections

We normally never go anywhere on Christmas day other than to whom ever is hosting Christmas.  This year however we went into Melbourne to see Christmas Fantastic at Crown and the laser light show at the Melbourne Town Hall. This was our third trip in to see the lights as we missed them the first two times we went in.  We had to go in on Christmas day because that was the last day for the show. Sir N thoroughly enjoyed it.

Click on any of the photo's to see them full size

We watched it twice and took some video.  We have watched it a few times now and each time we watch it we see something different. This is the official Melbourne Town Council Video of the show.


We took a video with some close up footage of the detail that was put into the show.  Each time we watch it we find something new.

I do hope they make this an annual tradition as it was so spectacular and special. Did you do anything new or unique this Christmas ?

Blessings

12 Days of Christmas at Crown

We had a wonderful day yesterday with family who came over to help us celebrate the birth of our Saviour.

Last night we decided to go into Melbourne and enjoy two of the Christmas shows together with Sir N.  We went to Crown Casino where they are currently running Christmas Fantastic {The Twelve Days of Christmas}.  It runs every 15 min and is free to the public. You can watch a 3 min YouTube clip on the making of Christmas Fantastic.

The Twelve days of Christmas begin on Christmas day and end on Twelfth Night — January 5th, the night before Epiphany.

12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas
My true love-......... God
gave to me-......... any person in Christ

A Partridge in a pear tree ....... Jesus on a cross

2 Turtle Doves .......... Old and New Testament

3 French hens ......... faith, hope and charity

4 Calling birds ........ the 4 gospels

5 Golden Rings ......... the first 5 books of the old Testament

6 geese a laying .......... 6 days of Creation

7 Swans a Swimming .......... 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit

8 maids a milking ......... 8 beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing ......... 9 fruits of the Hold Spirit

10 Lords a leaping ........ 10 Commandments

11 Pipers Piping ......... 11 Faithful Disciples

12 Drummers Drumming ......... 12 Points of belief in the Apostles Creed.

Blessings

Healsville Sanctuary

This past year has been an amazing experience for us as a family.  We have been blessed with tickets to return home to South Africa for a 50th wedding anniversary family reunion, a trip to Queensland and family from South Africa visiting.

With all these wonderful adventures I've got a little behind in recording my memories and so have decided to set aside Saturday mornings to share some of the beautiful places we have had the privilege of experiencing.
 
We had the most delightful week last week.  Aunt T and Uncle G came for a flying visit from South Africa.  Their daughter plays water polo and was chosen to represent South Africa in the first World Youth Water Polo Championships and since they were in Australia they decided to come and see where we live!  It was an amazing time of catching up and showing them our beautiful city and the unique diverse wild life that Australia has. We spent a day looking around Healesville Sanctuary and here are some of our moments.

One of my favourite aspects of this zoo are all the sculptures and braille notices of the animals on display.

Top: Healesville Sanctuary Entrance

Bottom: Aunty T with Koala sculpture, Sir N with an Emu sculpture

 Top: Koala, Wedge-Tailed Eagle Sculpture

Bottom: Tasmanian Devil, Echidna

We took a walk up to the Australian Wildlife Center where we met a baby Tasmanian Devil up close and personal, later in the day we hoped to see Spirits of the Sky but due to renovations (enclosure upgrades) the show had been changed.  It was still great to see Wedge Tailed eagles, baby Kangaroo's and wombats.

 Top: Baby Tasmanian Devil (male)

Bottom: Baby Wombat, Kangaroo, Wedgetailed Eagle

Directly across from the arena is the new Land of parrots display where you have the opportunity to hold and feed a number of Australian parrots.

 Clockwise from top left: Sir N with a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Sunbird, Cockatiel, Cockatoo,

After lunch we explored the Animals of the Night display and Woodlands track.

Top: Echidna, Bilby

Middle:

Bottom: Tasmanian Devil, Flying Foxes

Gouldian Finch, Female Gangang Cockatoo, Wonga Pigeon, White eared Honeyeater

Having grown up in Africa (South Africa and Namibia) and lived in New Zealand I am amazed at the diversity of wildlife here in Australia. The colours, sounds and variety are astounding.  Australia may not have 'The Big Five' but they certainly make up for it with the colour and variety of fauna and flora.

What is your favourite part of where you live ?

Blessings


This post is linking with: Look What We Did