Sept 2010
Embassy Staff and Satıkadın Primary School students Cleaned Up
Çubuk 1 Picnic area
Fifty students from Satıkadın Primary School took part in the Clean Up the World
activity on Sunday 19 September in Çubuk 1 picnic area together with members of
the Türkiye Tabiatını Koruma Derneği (Protection of Turkey’s Nature Association)
and staff from the Australian Embassy.
The Australian Ambassador to Turkey, HE Peter Doyle, thanked the students for
participating in such an important global initiative. He said that their efforts were
part of a worldwide campaign to Clean Up The World on 17-19 September, and that
this weekend, over 30 million volunteers from 119 countries had been involved in
similar activities.
Mr Erhun Baş from Ericsson, one of the campaign sponsors, said Ericsson was proud
to be part of this environmental campaign and would continue to support such
initiatives in future.
Altındağ District Governor, Mr Hamza Duygun, told the students that such campaigns
are crucial for tackling a variety of environmental problems. The involvement of
schools is particularly important. Educating and involving students provides the best
opportunity to make long-term changes in attitudes on environmental issues.
After the campaign, children and participants enjoyed refreshments kindly provided
by Carrefour.
Clean Up the World, one of the world's largest community-based events, is an
Australian initiative where millions of volunteers clean up some of the vast amounts
of rubbish carelessly discarded all over our planet each year. The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) was a major partner of Clean Up The World 2010.
August 2012
AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR SWIMS THE DARDANELLES
Australian Ambassador to Turkey Ian Biggs was the first-ever Australian diplomat to
swim the Dardanelles when he took part in the annual Hellespont swim race on
August 30. “Lord Byron was the best known person to swim across the Hellespont
from Europe to Asia. My wife Christine and I were thrilled to join this race, now in its
24th year, on a day of such significance for Turkey as Victory Day, and in a place of
such significance for Australia as Gallipoli” Mr Biggs said in Çanakkale after the big
race. Ambassador Biggs was also joined in the August 30 race by Mr Broughton
Robertson, Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, and his wife, Ms
Jenny Wong. The 6.5 kilometre Hellespont swim race started from the town of
Eceabat on the Gallipoli peninsula, and ended on the Anatolian shore at Çanakkale.
31 Australians participated out of a total of 170 foreign swimmers. 332 Turkish
swimmers took part, making a total of 502 participants. Australians won medals in
several of the age categories for both women and men, with Australian women
doing particularly well. Conditions were very rough and windy, with the fastest time
of the day (around 54 minutes) being a full 17 minutes behind the best time.
While in Çanakkale Ambassador Biggs also attended a wreath-laying and a reception
hosted by the Governor for Victory Day.
25 November 2010
AUSTRALIAN CINEMA COMES TO ISTANBUL
The Australian Embassy together with Istanbul Modern proudly present the second
Australian Film Festival in Turkey from 2-12 December 2010, featuring a collection of
award-winning films from Down Under. The theme for the Festival is “Australia:
Coming of Age Stories”.
Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey, will formally open the festival with a
VIP screening of Beautiful Kate on 2 December 2010. Nominated for 10 Australian
Film Industry 2009 awards, including Best Picture, Beautiful Kate is set in the
Australian outback and is described by writer and director Rachel Ward as ‘a gothic
love story’. Rolling Stone magazine calls it “a tale of empathy, forgiveness and
redemption.” Beautiful Kate is the story of Ned Kendall, his relationship as a
teenager with his twin sister Kate, and the emotional aftermath of a tragic series of
events which unfold when he is sixteen.
Touted as Asia-Pacific’s Hollywood, Australia has successfully competed in the
international film marketplace for decades. It has the distinction of producing the
world’s first full-length feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, in 1906. Today,
Australia’s film industry has won many accolades and is widely recognised for its
talented actors, directors and technicians. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Geoffrey
Rush, Guy Pearce, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths, Eric Bana and Toni
Collette are among the prominent Australian actors who have carved out successful
film careers in Hollywood.
Istanbul art-film lovers will have the chance to watch eleven Australian films at the
festival, including:
• The Black Balloon: It’s not easy being Thomas Mollison. When Thomas (Rhys
Wakefield) and his family move to a new home and he starts at a new school, all he
wants is to fit in. His pregnant mother (Toni Collette) has to take things easy, so his
father Simon (Erik Thomson) puts him in charge of his autistic older brother Charlie
(Luke Ford). Thomas, with the help of his new girlfriend Jackie (Gemma Ward), faces
his biggest challenge yet. The Black Balloon is a story about fitting in, discovering
love and accepting your family. The Black Balloon is a universal story. It takes the
audience on a journey with a family that may seem on the surface unusual, even
dysfunctional; but in reality they cope with life with great insight, understanding, and
humour.
• The Boys: Brett Sprague returns to his family home after twelve months in jail.
Things have changed while he has been away - his brother Glenn has moved out with
his girlfriend Jackie, younger brother Stevie's pregnant girlfriend Nola now lives with
the family, and his mother Sandra has taken on a Maori drifter. Reunited with his
brothers, Brett uses his first day back to restore order.
• Head On: Nineteen years old. A little confused. A lot pissed off. Ari jams all his
energy and defiance, pain and joy into one high velocity night of dancing, sex and
drugs. He’s running Head On into his own kind of freedom.
• Japanese Story: Sandy, a geologist, finds herself stuck on a field trip to the Pilbara
desert with a Japanese man she finds inscrutable, annoying and decidedly arrogant.
Hiromitsu’s view of her is not much better. Things go from bad to worse when they
become stranded in one of the most remote regions on earth. Japanese Story is a
journey of change and discovery for its two lead characters.
• Kiss or Kill: Al and Nikki are lovers on the run from the police, heading across the
Nullarbor. When a series of murders are committed along the way, each begins to
suspect the other as the killer.
• Romulus, My Father: Romulus my Father is based on Raimond Gaita's critically
acclaimed memoir. It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife Christina, and
their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is a
story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between
father and son.
• Somersault: A visually haunting film, set at the foot of the Australian ski fields,
Somersault is the story of a young girl’s sensory journey, through which she learns
the true meaning of love, family and friendship.
• The Sum of Us: Jeff and his Dad are an odd couple of lonely hearts. One an
openhearted widower, the other a young bachelor of a different persuasion. Both
men need some romance in their otherwise boring lives and decide to look for new
ways to find it. Dad enrols in a computer dating service to find his lady love. Son Jeff,
sick of one-night stands and noisy gay bars, wants a real commitment. But when he
finds his Mr Right, what will Dad have to say!
• The Tracker: A set of mountain ranges in the outback, 1922. The Fanatic leads two
other white men, the Follower and the Veteran, and the Tracker, in the pursuit of
the Fugitive. Through massacre and murder the hunt continues, until the clear cut
notions of truth and justice are subverted and the questions become not will the
Fugitive be caught, but what is black and what is white and who is leading whom?
• Two Hands: Follows the misadventures of Jimmy, an aspiring young ex-street kid
who loses gangster dollars and has to pull his first 'job' to avoid the bullet.
Unfortunately for Jimmy, he is distracted by the girl of his dreams who offers him the
prospect of a better life, the job goes wrong, and a couple of street kids who acted
as the catalyst for his downfall become entangled in the events that lead to Jimmy's
transformation.
The Australian Film Festival will be held at the Istanbul Modern Museum between
2 -10 December. Entrance to the museum is 12 TL for adults, 6 TL concession and the
film festival is open to all museum goers at no extra cost. Museum entrance is free of
charge on Thursdays. For more information, call İstanbul Modern on 0212-334 7300.
For the full festival program, please consult the Istanbul Modern website at
www.istanbulmodern.org
The second Australian Film Festival is presented by the Australian Embassy and
Screen Australia in cooperation with Istanbul Modern Museum. The Australian
Embassy wishes to thank Nu-Door for its valuable contribution to the festival.
For media enquiries please contact Ms. Elif Barutcuoglu Wade from the Australian
Embassy on 0312 459 9504. Mobile: 0532 216 6256.
Anzac Day 2011
Welcome to Lone Pine
Ian Biggs
Australian Ambassador to Turkey
Welcome to this service commemorating the 96th anniversary of the Anzac landings,
and to Lone Pine. In particular, I have the privilege of welcoming:
• guests from Australia, led by:
o the Hon. Warren Snowdon, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Defence Science and
Personnel, and Indigenous Health, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the
Centenary of Anzac;
o the President of the Senate, Senator the Hon. John Hogg; and
o the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin;
• from New Zealand, which is half the Anzac story:
o the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Murray McCully; and
o the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Richard Rhys Jones; and
• from the United Kingdom, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.
And I wish to recognize the Governor of Çanakkale, Mr. Güngör Azim Tuna,
representing the Republic of Turkey. Through him, I thank the Turkish Prime
Ministry, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Forestry, and Culture
and Tourism, the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkish Police, and the other agencies
that make these commemorations possible, and the people of Çanakkale Province,
who are so warmly welcoming of so very many Australians and New Zealanders.
Diplomatic, consular and military representatives of the nations whose people
fought and died on this peninsula, ladies and gentlemen, friends...
The lone pine is a powerful symbol in Australian collective memory. The tree that
today dominates this site is not the original; that did not survive the shelling. This
battlefield has a more sombre name in Turkish memory, as Bloody Ridge (Kanlısırt).
About 9000 young men from Turkey and Australia died or were wounded here
between the 6th and the 10th of August 1915; and I mention homelands in that
order because the sacrifice – the casualty rate – was even higher on the Ottoman
side, among the heroes of the 16th Division successfully defending their own land:
this land. It was bitter, close fighting with bayonets and hand-grenades over an area
the size of – depending on the code you follow – a football field. Seven Victoria
Crosses were awarded, a legend was born, mateship was redefined, the courage was
incredible – yet it can be hard now to follow the strategic logic that brought the
Anzacs to this place: something to do with taking the Peninsula, storming on to
Istanbul, opening the Straits for Russia, and forcing the Ottoman Empire out of the
Great War. And you all know how the Gallipoli story ends, with more than 140,000
Allied casualties (mainly British) and at least a quarter of a million Turkish casualties,
and an orderly evacuation at the end of the year.
Those of you from Australia know well why we are here – why this little place
(compared to the major battles of the Western Front, a mere sideshow) has for us
the power of Hastings or Waterloo or Gettysburg in other national stories. The
Anzacs thought they were fighting for God, King and Empire, and for adventure, their
mates and perhaps a distant vision of a world without war; but they were also, all
unknowing, asserting the sovereignty of newly minted nations, and affirming the
heroism, the nobility of ordinary people. Like all the best narratives, this one has
grown – an Australian diplomat serving in Ankara when the Embassy opened, 43
years ago, tells me that into the 1970s, Anzac Day was marked here by
approximately six people and a dog – but the foundation is all too real. The narrative
has acquired unexpected elements, as when archival research found that there had
been Aboriginal diggers (at least 500 over the duration of the First World War),
risking their lives to fight for a country that did not allow them to serve openly. To
enlist, some pretended to be Maori, or African American.
The narrative has also been growing for modern Turkey – visitors each year to the
national park are into the hundreds of thousands, monuments are being renewed,
and the detailed records of the campaign from the Ottoman side are being
published. All Turks know the words of their commander here, later President
Atatürk, magnanimously consoling the Anzacs’ mothers, and we who are charged
with promoting bilateral relations with Turkey can rejoice in the way that a fierce
battle has become a firm basis for friendship. Terrible things were happening in the
world while the Gallipoli campaign was underway – historians have compared the
First World War to the suicide of European civilisation – and those terrible things
included the loss through war of a whole generation of Turks educated under the
reforms of the last years of the Ottoman Empire. Yet in this campaign, another great
nation, the Republic of Turkey (proclaimed in 1923), was coming into view.
Education in the virtues of the Anzac experience is if anything deepening in Australia.
Social research for this year’s Anzac Centenary Commission has confirmed that the
Australian community expects our history of military service to be commemorated,
and has strong views about how this should happen, and what the commemorating
should communicate. One likes to trust that a primary lesson taken away from these
battlefields is of the horror and all too often the futility of war. We can honour the
sacrifice of the warriors buried here by working, in the words of the United Nations
Charter, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. There are other
qualities too that have come to be associated with the Anzac tradition – loyalty,
comradeship, endurance – and they are not fabrications; we can see them expressed
in the diaries and letters that have survived in such surprising numbers. Nor is there
anything maudlin or mawkish in the sentiments of the Anzacs – strong if not
necessarily silent types, and all volunteers. An Australian poet who fought here, Leon
Gellert, wrote a short poem that begins “When my poor body died” and continues “I
bowed and thanked the bit of shell/That set me free and made me glad” – so laconic
irony is another lesson for the learning.
This is a commemoration, and neither a celebration nor a funeral. Your presence
here is the answer to the challenge Siegfried Sassoon expressed in “Aftermath” at
the end of the War: “Have you forgotten yet? .../Look down, and swear by the slain
of the War that you'll never forget./…-/ Have you forgotten yet? .../Look up, and
swear by the green of the spring that you'll never forget.” Thank you all for coming,
and for not forgetting.
And welcome to Lone Pine.
18 December 2009
Commission Report Launched in Tokyo: Towards a Nuclear Weapon Free World
The Report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and
Disarmament, “Eliminating Nuclear Threats: A Practical Agenda for Global
Policymakers”, was presented on 15 December 2009 in Tokyo to the Prime Ministers
of Australia and Japan, Kevin Rudd and Yukio Hatoyama, by the Commission CoChairs, former foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi, at a ceremony
at the Japanese Prime Minister’s residence.
The full text of the report is available online at www.icnnd.org
The 230-page report, the most comprehensive of its kind yet produced, is the
unanimous product of an independent global panel of fifteen commissioners.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said at the launch, “this report, I believe,
represents an important framework for discussions and debate on non-proliferation
and nuclear disarmament in what will be a critical year in 2010. President Obama has
called a nuclear security summit in Washington in April of next year. We have the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NTP) review conference due in May next year.”
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said also at the launch, “Japanese
government welcomes the report which leads the way to the world peace. I hope
the report, which is ahead of the awareness of Japanese and Australian
Governments, will not only guide the two Governments, but also guide the whole
world. ”
The report describes, not just rhetorically but in the detail that policymakers need,
how that opportunity can and should be seized.
The report evaluates in detail the threats and risks associated with the failure to
persuade existing nuclear-armed states to relinquish their weapons, to prevent new
states acquiring them, to stop terrorist actors gaining access to them, and to
properly manage a rapid expansion in civil nuclear energy.
For media contact: Elif Barutçuoğlu-Wade, Australian Embassy, Ankara
[email protected] Tel: 0312-4599504 Cep: 0532 2166256
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Australian Government re-lists PKK as a terrorist organisation
Australian Government re-lists PKK as a terrorist organisation -Sept 2007
Media releases - Endeavor Award 2008
Media releases - Australia Day 2008
Media releases - Parliament of the World’s Religions - Melbourne in 2009
Media releases - The Australian Govenment Apologises to Members of the
Stolen Generation
Media releases - Celebrating 40 years of Turkish migration to Australia
Media Release, 5 September 2008: Turkey and Australia sign an MOU on
agriculture cooperation
Media Release, 25 November 2008: Australian documentary to feature at
Sustainable Living Festival in Istanbul
Climate Change: The Australian Government is establishing a Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme as part of an effective framework for meeting
the climate change challenge.
Media Release, 12 January 2009: Special screening of 'Australia' the movie in
Ankara
Media Release, 12 February 2009: 13 February 2009 marks the first
anniversary of the Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples
Media Release, 27 January 2009: Australia to provide $5 million additional
humanitarian assistance for Gaza
Media Release, 19 February 2009: Travel Bulletin for Australians travelling to
Turkey for ANZAC Day
Joint Media Release, 17 March 2009: Joint Exhibition from Turkey and
Australia to mark 18 March
Media Release, 21 April 2009: Turkey-Australia Under 16 Football Matches in
Canakkale
Media Release, 22 April 2009: The Hon Stephen Smith MP visit to Gallipoli
Peninsula
Media Release, 5 June 2009: Australia's Action On Climate Chage
Media Release, 17 September 2009: Australian Cinema Comes to Ankara
Joint Media Release, 7 December 2009: Ankara to Host Fourth Çanakkale Art
Prize Exhibition
Joint Media Release, 18 December 2009: Commission Report Launched in
Tokyo: Towards a Nuclear Weapon Free World
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
20 September 2012
YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FROM AUSTRALIA
Message Stick: Indigenous Identity in Urban Australia
opens in Mardin on 27 September
The Australian Embassy is proud to present a touring art exhibition, Message Stick:
Indigenous Identity in Urban Australia, to the audience in Turkey; first in Mardin
and then Ankara.
The exhibition features a selection of significant works by Aboriginal artists at the
forefront of contemporary art in Australia. The exhibition demonstrates Australia’s
commitment to embracing and celebrating the world’s oldest living cultures, a
commitment voiced four years ago in 2008 with the National Apology to the Stolen
Generations.
Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Mr Ian Biggs, said in Ankara “We are very pleased
that we are able to bring this exhibition to Mardin and Ankara this year. I believe the
exhibition will contribute significantly to the already friendly relations between our
two countries. Australia and Turkey share a unique relationship stemming from the
Great War. With exhibitions such as this one, we would like to show to our friends in
Turkey that there are other aspects to Australian culture and the arts. I also warmly
thank our sponsors, Nu-Door, Austrext and Etihad, for their invaluable contribution
to our bringing the exhibition to Turkey.”
The exhibition will be open in Mardin between 27 September and 20 October 2012
at the Mardin Valiliği Konak Galerisi and then move to Ankara, from 1 November to
15 December at CerModern.
Message Stick is presented by the Australian Embassy in Ankara in partnership with
ArtBank.
For media inquiries: Please contact Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade at the Australian Embassy,
on 0312-459 9504 or 0532-216 6256; e-mail: [email protected]
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVENMENT CONTRIBUTES AUD 500,000 FOR EMERGENCY
APPEAL AFTER THE VAN EARTHQUAKE
In a letter from Foreign Minister Rudd to Foreign Minister Davutoglu, and in a
personal conversation between Prime Ministers Gillard and Erdogan, the Australian
Government has expressed its deepest condolences to those who have lost family
and loved ones and deep sympathy to those whose homes and livelihoods have been
taken from them in the recent earthquake in eastern Turkey.
As a country that has also suffered from significant natural disasters, Australia
understands that rebuilding lives and devastated communities takes time and
resources. In that regard, Australia is contributing A$500,000 to the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Preliminary Emergency Appeal for the Van earthquake.
Australia’s contribution will support the Turkish Red Crescent Society in contributing
its relief distributions, emergency shelter and logistics activities.
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
6 February 2008
Parliament of the World’s Religions to meet in Melbourne in 2009
The city of Melbourne has won the right to host the 2009 gathering of the
Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne from 3 to 9 December.
An estimated 8,000 to 12,000 people, including religious leaders from around the
world, are expected to attend.
As a multifaith, multilingual and multicultural city, Melbourne is an ideal place to
hold the world’s largest inter-faith gathering. The gathering of the Parliament will
also showcase Melbourne’s success in integrating immigrants and refugees from a
diverse range of countries and backgrounds.
There are around 60,000 people with Turkish heritage living in Australia,
approximately half of whom live in Melbourne.
The Australian Government is committed to encouraging mutual respect,
understanding and cooperation among different religions and cultures in Australia.
Australia is a member of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations, led by
Turkey and Spain, which aims to combat extremism and promote inter-cultural and
inter-religious understanding.
For further information please visit the parliament's official website.
http://www.parliamentofreligions2009.org/
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]
21 January 2008
Turkish Scholars Win Australian
Scholarships
Ten Turkish scholars are packing their bags for Australia after winning a "2008
Endeavour Award" to study at an Australian university. The 10 won scholarships for
post-graduate study after taking part in an internationally competitive and merit-based
selection process.
In Ankara, Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Peter Doyle, congratulated those who
had won the prestigious awards.
"I'd like to congratulate all ten winners of the Endeavour Awards Programme. I'm
sure that they will all enjoy their study and the experience of living in Australia. I’m
confident that these talented and highly motivated people will contribute to, and learn
from, their work in Australia. In doing so, they will enrich Australia, as well as
Turkey," Doyle said.
"Australia sees these scholarships as an important element of its strong bilateral ties
with Turkey. I am pleased that the successful scholars will be pursuing studies in a
wide range of disciplines from education and the arts to cutting-edge science,
including genetics and cancer research," Doyle added.
The 10 scholarship winners are from various universities in Turkey and they will
spend between four months and a year in their specific fields at Australia's top
universities.
An Australian has also won a scholarship to study in Turkey.
The Endeavour Awards Programme is an Australian Government initiative that brings
high achieving students, researchers and professionals from around the world to
Australia for study, research or professional development in a broad range of
disciplines. The Programme also enables Australians to do the same abroad.
The Turkish Endeavour Scholars will return to Turkey with improved academic
qualifications, and with a greater understanding of Australia and the education
opportunities it offers.
The awarding of 10 scholarships for 2008 is an increase from the four that were
awarded to Turkish scholars in 2007.
Details of the award winners:
2008 Endeavour Award for Turkey recipients:
Ms Duygu Beykal, a graduate of Sabancı University, Department of Visual Arts and
Visual Communication Design, will undertake a masters degree on visual and
performing arts at the University of Sydney.
Mr Cavit Hacihamdioglu from Akdeniz University will undertake a Doctorate in
Philosophy at the Austalian National University in Canberra.
Mr Basar Oku will study for a Doctorate in molecular bioscience at the University of
Queensland. His thesis will focus on the "discovery of novel genes coding for circular
proteins and their processing mechanisms."
2008 Endeavour Executive Award recipient:
Associate Prof. Fatih Tasar from Gazi University, Department of Science Education,
will be at RMIT University in Melbourne to observe and participate in teacher
training activities, conduct collaborative research, examine in-service teacher
development programs, schools systems, science and technology cirricula, textbooks
and school facilities and to develop relationships for future collaboration.
2008 Endeavour Research Fellowship recipients:
Assistant Prof. Gassan Koklu from Namik Kemal University in Tekirdag, Faculty of
Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection, will work at the University of
Queensland, Molecular Bioscience Technologies, Emerging Technologies Unit.
Mr Serdar Degirmencioglu who used to be based at Beykent University, Department
of Psychology will study at Victoria University. He will study community-based
organizations in Melbourne, particularly those that focus on children and youth.
Ms Ayse Kizildag from Cukurova University, Faculty of Education, will study
teacher decision making strategies in handling disruptive behaviour: two cases
(Australia and Turkey) at either Victoria University or Edith Cowan University.
Dr Ozlem Demirkiran from Trakya University, Faculty of Science and Arts,
Department of Chemistry, will conduct research on isolating anti-cancerous
compounds from sea plants at Griffith University.
Professor Berna Tunali from Ondokuz Mayis University in Samsun, Faculty of
Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection will conduct research on the molecular
structure of wheat at Queenland Univerity.
Mr Mustafa Cakir from Marmara University, Ataturk Education Faculty, Department
of Biology Teacher Training, will conduct research on science teaching at RMIT
University.
The Australian awardee
Mr David Tittensor will study at Bilkent University in the field of arts, humanities and
social sciences.
For further information:
On the 2008 Endeavour Awards: www.endeavour.dest.gov.au
On Studying in Australia: http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au
Or contact
Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade
Public Diplomacy Manager
Australian Embassy, Ankara
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]
AU S T R A L I A N E M B A S S Y A N K A R A
MEDIA RELEASE
21 April 2009
Turkey-Australia Under 16 Football matches in Çanakkale
The first annual Turkey versus Australia Men's Under 16 football matches will be
played in Canakkale on 24 April 2009 under a new initiative by Football Federation
Australia and Turkish Football Federation (FFA) to celebrate the strong and close
links between the two countries.
The match on 24 April is the first of two matches to be played in Canakkale over the
ANZAC Day commemorative period with the second to be played on April 26th. The
kick off time for both matches is at 14.00 hr at the Canakkale Stadium.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and New South Wales Premier Nathan
Rees will attend the game and meet the players.
The date of the annual football event was selected to coincide with ANZAC Day (25
April) for Australia and National Sovereignty and Children's Day (23 April) for
Turkey.
The matches will be played alternatively in Turkey and Australia with next year’s
games to be held in an Australian city yet to be determined.
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0532-216 6256
e-mail: [email protected]
22 April 2009
Visit to Gallipoli Peninsula
I will leave Australia tonight, Wednesday 22 April to visit Turkey.
I will have the honour to lead Australia's official delegation to the 94th Anzac Day commemorative
services on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Australia and Turkey attach great significance to commemorating the Gallipoli campaign of the
First World War.
My visit provides the opportunity to personally express Australia's ongoing thanks to the Turkish
authorities for the close cooperation and excellent support provided to Australia for Anzac Day
commemorations.
On Friday, 24 April, I will attend international commemorations including the Turkish International
Service, French Memorial Service, and the Commonwealth Memorial Service.
I will also support the young Australian players at the Australia-Turkey U16 men's friendly soccer
game at Canakkale. Following the soccer I will open the Turkish Australian Cultural Centre at the
Canakkale 18 March University.
On Saturday 25 April, I will speak on behalf of the Australian Government at the Anzac Day Dawn
Service and the Australian Memorial Service at Lone Pine. I will also attend the Turkish 57 th
Regiment Memorial Service and the New Zealand Memorial Service at Chunuk Bair.
I look forward to sharing the Anzac experience with the many Australians who will participate in
this year's commemorations.
I encourage all Australians travelling to Turkey for Anzac Day to register on the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) smartraveller website. DFAT has also published a special
travel bulletin for those attending Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli. This can also be found
on the smartraveller website.
Media inquiries: Mr Smith's office 02 6277 7500 - Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
5 JUNE 2009 - WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
AUSTRALIA’S ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The Australian Government is implementing a comprehensive strategy to ensure
Australia plays its full and fair part in global efforts to tackle climate change.
Australia announced on 4 May 2009 that it would reduce emissions by 25 per cent
below 2000 levels by 2020. Australia's economy and environment are likely to be
disproportionately affected by climate change. Australia generates only 1.5 per cent of
global greenhouse gas emissions, so its actions alone cannot avert the worst
consequences of climate change: the only solution to climate change is a global one.
"The stakes are high for Australia. Our future prosperity and the future of our unique
environment depend on securing an international agreement," Australian Minister for
Climate Change, Senator Penny Wong said.
Australian has put forward a proposal to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change talks in Copenhagen in December 2009 on how emissions
reductions from the forest sector in developing countries could be included in a future
international climate change agreement.
"Deforestation accounts for around 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Instead of an economic imperative to remove forests in developing countries, we need
an incentive to preserve them," said Senator Wong.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will also play an important role in the global fight
against climate change and Australia is investing AUD2 billion in industrial-scale
CCS projects. Australia’s Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI) will
drive the dissemination of CCS technology and know-how around the world. Sharing
the knowledge generated by the Institute's activities will be critical to enable broad
deployment of carbon capture and storage by 2020.
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoğlu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
Mobile: 0532-216 6256
e-mail: [email protected]
MEDIA RELEASE
16 September 2009
AUSTRALIAN CINEMA COMES TO ANKARA
The Australian Embassy in Ankara proudly presents the first Australian Film Festival
in Turkey from 16-18 October 2009, featuring a collection of award-winning films
from Down Under.
Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey, will formally open the festival with a
VIP screening of Jindabyne on 15 October 2009. Based on Raymond Carver’s short
story ‘So Much Water So Close to Home’, the Guardian described it as “real
cinematic nourishment”. Jindabyne received the International Film Critics award for
Best Film and Best Screenplay award in the 2006 Stockholm Film Festival.
Touted as Asia-Pacific’s Hollywood, Australia has successfully competed in the
international film marketplace for decades. It has the distinction of producing the
world’s first full-length feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, in 1906. Today,
Australia has won many accolades and is widely recognised for its talented actors,
directors and technicians. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Geoffrey Rush, Guy
Pearce, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts and Toni Collette are among the prominent
Australian actors who have carved out successful film careers in Hollywood.
The films to be screened in the festival include Australian Rules, based on the novel
'Deadly Unna' by Phillip Gwynne, which won the 2002 Cannes Junior special jury
prize; The Bank, a political thriller set in the world of high finance; Japanese Story,
featuring award winning actress Toni Collette, which won several awards at the 2003
Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto International Film award and nine Australian Film
Institute awards; Lantana, a psychological thriller about love and the mistakes people
make, which received awards at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival and San
Sebastian International Film Festival and seven Australian Film Institute Awards;
Radiance, a critically-acclaimed Aboriginal feature film in which a mother's death
draws her three distant daughters back to their childhood home and Jindabyne.
The Australian Film Festival will be held at Büyülü Fener Cinema in Kızılay, Ankara
from 16-18 October. The admission fee is TL 10 for adults and TL 8 for students. To
book tickets, call Büyülü Fener Cinema on 425 0100.
For the full festival program, log on to the Australian Embassy website at
www.turkey.embassy.gov.au or call 0312-459 9504.
The first Australian Film Festival is presented by the Australian Embassy and Screen
Australia in cooperation with Büyülü Fener Cinema. Our festival supporters are
Tasarımhane and Özgüzelişler and Fosters. Our media sponsors include Habertürk
and Radio ODTU.
AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY ANKARA
AND THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
7 December 2009
ANKARA TO HOST FOURTH ÇANAKKALE ART PRIZE EXHIBITION
The fourth Çanakkale Art Prize exhibition will be opened on Tuesday, 8 December
2009 at 4 pm at Hacettepe University Fine Arts Faculty Exhibition Hall in Beytepe,
Ankara by Prof Uğur Erdener, the Rector of Hacettepe University and Mr Peter
Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey. The exhibition can be viewed until 22
December, except on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Çanakkale Art Prize is an initiative of the Gallipoli Memorial Club (Sydney) and
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. Prizes are awarded to artists in Turkey whose
paintings best represent the values and traditions embodied in those who served in the
Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and the bonds of friendship between Turkey and
Australia.
Its sister competition, the Gallipoli Art Prize, is run in Australia and New Zealand.
This is a ten-year project which draws contributions from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart
University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, İstanbul Işık Üniversity, Çanakkale
Industrialists and Businessman Association and the Australian government. Following
the completion of the project with the last Çanakkale Art Prize in 2015 on the 100th
anniversary of the Battle of Çanakkale (Gallipoli Campaign), 20 first prize winning
paintings will be exhibited in Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.
In this year’s Art Prize, Semra Sağlam received the First Prize Award, Osman Selçuk
Eroğlu the Governor’s Prize, Baybora Temel received the Ambassador’s Prize, Serdar
Kul received the Rector’s Prize, Nurten Coudrains received the Special Jury Award
and Mehmet Ali Büyükparmaksız and Hakan Daloğlu received Certificates of Merit.
The Australian Embassy would like to thank Hacettepe University for its contribution
to the Ankara exhibition.
Entries are wanted for the 2010 competition. It will be finalised to be exhibited in
Çanakkale on 18 March Battle of Çanakkale and the Commemoration of Martyrs’
Day. For those interested in the competition with its 10,000 TL first prize, please visit
www.gelibolumemorial.net
For media contact:
Avustralya Büyükelçiliği
Elif Barutcuoğlu-Wade
Telefon: 0312-459 9504
Cep Telefonu: 0532-216 6256
E-mail: [email protected]
Çanakkale Resim Yarışması
Düzenleyici Komite Sekreteri
Özge Büyük: 0506-590 70 85 [email protected]
[email protected]
AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY ANKARA
AND THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB
17 March 2009
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
JOINT EXHIBITION FROM TURKEY AND AUSTRALIA TO MARK 18
MARCH
The Directorate General of Press and Information and the Australian Embassy in
Ankara will hold a joint exhibition to mark the 18 March Commemoration of
Martyrs’ Day and the Anniversary of the Çanakkale Naval Battle.
Minister of State, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Aydın and the Australian Ambassador, Mr Peter
Doyle will open the ‘Atatürk and Çanakkale’ photographic exhibition and the Third
Çanakkale Art Prize Exhibition on Thursday, 19 March 2009 at 18.30 at the Art
Gallery of the Turkish Press and Information in Balgat.
The Çanakkale Art Prize is an initiative of the Gallipoli Memorial Club (Sydney) and
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. Prizes are awarded to artists in Turkey whose
paintings best represent the values and traditions embodied in those who served in the
Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and the bonds of friendship between our two nations. Its
sister competition, the Gallipoli Art Prize, is run in Australia and New Zealand.
“18 March is a time to remember and honour the Turkish soldiers who fought in
Canakkale 94 years ago. This exhibition of works by 24 Turkish artists honours their
memory and the memory of the Australian soldiers who served in the Gallipoli
Campaign. This 10 year art competition and its sister competition in Australia, the
Gallipoli Art Prize, is a model of how Australian and Turks are working together in
the modern age to expand our special and enduring friendship,” Ambassador Doyle
said in Ankara.
Asuman Tuncay received the First Prize Award, Süheyla Karaloğlu the Governor’s
Prize and Serkan Şen received the Ambassador’s Prize in this year’s Art Prize.
Distinguished jury members include Prof. Dr. Ali Akdemir, Rector of Çanakkale
Onsekiz Mart University; Prof. Rahmi Aksungur, Rector of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts
University; Prof. Dr. Süleyman Saim Tekcan, Dean of Fine Arts Faculty, Işık
University, Mr Bedri Baykam, artist, author and Turkey representative of the
International Association of Plastic Arts and Mr Peter Rennert, Australian Consul,
Çanakkale.
The project is supported by Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, İstanbul Işık
University, the Çanakkale Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association and the
Australian Government.
The twenty-four works will be exhibited in Ankara, which follows exhibitions in
Çanakkale and İstanbul. The exhibition can be viewed between 10 am and 6 pm until
Friday 27 March 2009 excluding Sundays.
For media contact:
Australian Embassy
Elif Barutcuoğlu-Wade
Phone: 0312-459 9504
Mobile: 0532-216 6256 e-mail: [email protected]
Çanakkale Art Prize Organising Committee Secretary
Özge Büyük: 0506-590 70 85 [email protected]
Media Release
19 February 2009
Travel Bulletin for Australians travelling to Turkey for
ANZAC Day
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a travel bulletin for Australians planning to travel to
Turkey for Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli peninsula.
Each year, thousands of people travel to Gallipoli to attend the Anzac Day commemorations, which hold a
special significance for Australians and New Zealanders.
The travel bulletin contains information on the commemorative services that will be held from April 24 to April
25. It provides advice on local conditions that travellers are likely to face and advises the sort of things
Australians can do ahead of their trip to ensure they are well-prepared, informed and kept up to date.
Travellers are urged to organise comprehensive travel insurance before they leave for Turkey, register their
contact details with smartraveller.gov.au and subscribe to the free email service which provides up to date
travel advice for Turkey.
During April, the Gallipoli peninsula can experience extreme weather conditions. Overnight temperatures may
fall below zero. Rain and very cold winds are possible. The weather during the day may be warm and windy.
There is no shelter available at the commemorative sites so the advisory urges visitors to be prepared for
extended periods of exposure to the elements. Turkish authorities are responsible for security arrangements
for the commemorations and visitors need also to allow sufficient time to pass through the various security
checkpoints.
The travel bulletin also details those items that cannot be brought onto the site, including alcohol, camping
equipment, flammable liquids and large backpacks.
The travel bulletin also contains details on where travellers can get help if they need it, either from Turkish
Authorities or from Australian consular officials. Further information is also available at the DVA website.
Media Enquiries: DFAT Media Liaison - 02 6261 1555
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
12 February 2009
13 February 2009 marks the first anniversary of the Apology to Australia’s
Indigenous Peoples
On 13 February 2008, the Prime Minister moved a motion of Apology to Australia’s
Indigenous Peoples in the Australian Parliament, which was unanimously passed.
Although the Apology was to all of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, it was directed
particularly toward those Indigenous Australians who as children were forcibly
removed from their families under laws and policies of previous governments –
known as the Stolen Generations.
The Apology was a powerful act of reconciliation and national healing, and sparked
intense interest overseas.
The Australian Government is committed to building a genuine, sustained and
constructive engagement and partnership with Indigenous people. The National
Apology has helped to start to build that trust and good faith.
The Government has held consultations with Indigenous people across the country on
the establishment of a National Indigenous Representative Body to give Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people a voice in national affairs.
Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments have recently acted in concert to
commit $4.6 billion in targeted initiatives for Indigenous Australians to drive reform
across early childhood development, health, housing, economic development and
remote service delivery.
Governments are developing implementation plans in consultation with Indigenous
people.
For further information:
- The Reconciliation Australia website
(http://www.reconciliation.org.au/i-cms.isp?page=830)
- About the Apology and the Stolen Generations
(http://www.reconcile.org.au/getsmart/pages/sorry/sorry--faq.php)
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
13 January 2009
Special Screening of 'Australia' the movie in Ankara
The Australian Embassy will host a special screening of the movie ‘Australia’ in
Ankara on 14 January 2009 at Buyulu Fener cinema, Kızılay. The movie has been
released in 70 countries around the world – including Turkey.
‘Australia’ directed by Baz Luhrmann is an epic tale of adventure, transformation and
love in the Australian outback. The movie features Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman
and is set in the Australian outback in the 1930s and early 1940s. It’s the most
expensive Australian film ever made costing an estimated US$ 100 million.
The movie will bring to life little-known aspects of Australia’s extraordinary natural
environment, history and indigenous culture. Ambassador Peter Doyle will be
available to answer questions from members of the media during the reception that
will take place before the film is screened.
The Australian Embassy wishes to thank Büyülü Fener Cinemas, Tiglon İstanbul and
Efes Pilsen for their support.
Reception at 19.30 hrs
Film starts at 20.15 hrs
Venue: Büyülü Fener Kızılay
Meşrutiyet Cad. Hatay Sok. No. 18 Kızılay-Ankara
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoğlu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
Mobile: 0532-216 6256
e-mail: [email protected]
AUSTRALIANEMBASSY
ANKARA
PRESS RELEASE
25 November 2008
Australian documentary to feature at Sustainable Living Festival in Istanbul
Australian Bill Mollison’s documentary series “Global Gardener” will feature at the
Sustainable Living Film Festival. The Festival will take place between 26-28
November at the Italian Cultural Institute in Istanbul. “Global Gardener” will screen
at the Italian Cultural Institute at 4.40 pm on Friday 28 November 2008. Admission is
free of charge. The Australian Embassy in Ankara is proud to support the Festival.
Bill Mollison is an Australian researcher, author, scientist, teacher and naturalist. He
has been called the 'father of permaculture', the method of sustainable agriculture that
he devised. Permaculture weaves together microclimate, annual and perennial plants,
animals, soils, water management and human needs into intricately connected
productive communities. Mollison has proved that even in the most difficult
conditions permaculture empowers people to turn wastelands into food forests.
The Australian Government is committed to promoting sustainable development both
in Australia and overseas by taking strong action on climate change. After coming to
power in November 2007, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ratified the Kyoto Protocol and
committed to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2050.
In September, Mr Rudd launched the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Initiative
and the establishment of a AUD 100 million Global Institute to speed up the
development of carbon capture and storage.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth and is particularly vulnerable to the
challenges of climate change. The Australian Government will invest AUD 12.9
billion over the next 10 years in a national water plan.
For more information on the Festival you can visit:
http://www.surdurulebiliryasam.org/festivalimiz.html
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoğlu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504 e-mail: [email protected]
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
5 September 2008
Turkey and Australia sign an MOU on agriculture cooperation
Turkey and Australia deepened bilateral relations in the field of agriculture with the
signing on Thursday 4 September of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
designed to strengthen biosecurity and animal health cooperation.
The "Arrangement on Cooperation in the Fields of Animal Health and Biosecurity"
MOU was signed yesterday by Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Peter Doyle and the
Director General of Protection and Control, Doç Dr. Muzaffer Aydemir.
"Agricultural cooperation between Turkey and Australia has increased significantly in
recent years, particularly since an umbrella MOU was signed during Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Australia in December 2005," Ambassador Doyle said at the
signing ceremony.
The Ambassador said there was demand in Turkey for importing Australian goats and
sheep and this demand had led to the recent negotiation of a health certificate to
facilitate the trade. “I recently met with Turkish farmers and agri-businesspeople in
the Aegean region who were interested and ready to import Australian goats and
sheep from Australia,” he said.
Turkish farmers have also imported dairy cattle from Australia since the conclusion of
a health certificate for the importing of breeding cattle in 2006. “Last year imports of
cattle from Australian into Turkey were worth 4.5 million YTL,” the Ambassador
said.
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoğlu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
PRESS RELEASE
16 April 2008
WE CAME AS WORKERS – WE STAYED AS CITIZENS
Celebrating 40 years of Turkish migration to Australia
The Australian Embassy in Ankara is launching an exhibition celebrating the 40th
anniversary of Turkish migration to Australia.
On 5 October 1967, the Australian and Turkish governments signed an agreement that
led to the first assisted migration of people from Turkey to live and work in Australia.
This exhibition highlights the history and development of Australia's Turkish
community over the past four decades.
While many Turkish immigrants arrived in Australia intending to stay a few years,
almost all changed their minds and chose to remain and become Australians. Today
there are around 60,000 Turkish-Australians living in Australia.
The exhibition explores the challenges faced by early Turkish immigrants as they
built a new life in Australia and celebrates their successes and contributions to
Australia's multicultural community.
Australians are culturally diverse mix. Today, almost one in four Australian, of a
population of 21 million, were born overseas. Australia values and respects cultural
diversity. There are few countries in the world where migrants have achieved the level
of economic, political, social and cultural participation that they have in Australia.
This is a travelling exhibition developed by the Turkish 40th Anniversary Committee,
Victoria, Australia in partnership with the Immigration Museum, Museum Victoria,
Melbourne, Australia.
This exhibition has been generously supported by Nu-Door Pty.Ltd, Sleepcraft
Distributors Pty. Ltd, AGP Australia Pty.Ltd, Komtel Business Solutions, Incremental
Petroleum Limited/Petroleum Exploration Mediterranean Int Pty. Ltd (PEMI), Ankara
Greater City Municipality and Beşiktaş Municipality. Our media sponsors are
Today’s Zaman and Radio ODTU.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Ankara
Opening Reception: 12 May 2008
The exhibition can be viewed between 10 am- 6 pm from Monday, 12 May until
Tuesday 20 May including Saturday and Sunday.
Venue: Büyükşehir Belediyesi
Zafer Çarşısı Güzel Sanatlar Galerisi Kızılay-Ankara
İstanbul
Opening Reception: 9 June 2008
The exhibition can be viewed between 9 am-6 pm from Monday, 9 June until Sunday,
22 June including Saturday and Sunday.
Venue: Akatlar Kültür Merkezi,
Zeytinoğlu Cad. No. 16
Akatlar İstanbul
For further information you can contact with Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade from the
Australian Embassy, Ankara on 0312-459 9504 or 0532 2166256, or Elif Asmali from
the Australian Embassy, Ankara on 0312-459 9567 or 05359834910.
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
13 February 2008
The Australian Govenment Apologises to Members of the Stolen Generation
The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has made a formal apology to the Stolen
Generation and their families today on behalf of the Australian Government.
The apology was the first item of business in the new Parliament, following the
federal election in November 2007.
The 'Stolen Generation' is a term used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families under past
government policies.
"For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for
their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers
and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities we say sorry. And for
the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture we
say sorry," Rudd said.
"We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments
that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.’
"We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
children from their families, their communities and their country.’
"For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and
for their families left behind, we say sorry," the Prime Minister said.
The apology is a powerful symbol of a new partnership between the Government and
Indigenous people. The Government is committed to work with Indigenous
communities to improve services aimed at closing the 17-year life expectancy gap
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The Government has committed
to an AUD 261 million investment in improving the health of Indigenous children.
The Government has also committed an extra AUD 15 million towards counselling
and helping members of the Stolen Generation reconnect with their families.
Around 17 members of the Stolen Generation were present in the House of
Representatives chamber. The apology was broadcast nationally on ABC television
and radio, as well as on the internet.
Hundreds of people who had gathered to watch the apology on big screens placed on
the lawns in front of Parliament House then joined in a celebration which included
Indigenous performers. Around the country events organised by State and Territory
Governments acknowledged and celebrated the national apology.
For further information: www.pm.gov.au
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]
PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT:
Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in
human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations this blemished chapter in our nation's history.
The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by
righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.
We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments
that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for
their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of
families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud
culture, we say sorry.
We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in
the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great
continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future
that embraces all Australians.
A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never,
never happen again.
A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and nonIndigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational
achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems
where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with
equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history
of this great country, Australia."
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RELEASE
6 February 2008
Parliament of the World’s Religions to meet in Melbourne in 2009
The city of Melbourne has won the right to host the 2009 gathering of the Parliament
of the World’s Religions in Melbourne from 3 to 9 December.
An estimated 8,000 to 12,000 people, including religious leaders from around the
world, are expected to attend.
As a multifaith, multilingual and multicultural city, Melbourne is an ideal place to
hold the world’s largest inter-faith gathering. The gathering of the Parliament will
also showcase Melbourne’s success in integrating immigrants and refugees from a
diverse range of countries and backgrounds.
There are around 60,000 people with Turkish heritage living in Australia,
approximately half of whom live in Melbourne.
The Australian Government is committed to encouraging mutual respect,
understanding and cooperation among different religions and cultures in Australia.
Australia is a member of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations, led by
Turkey and Spain, which aims to combat extremism and promote inter-cultural and
inter-religious understanding.
For further information please visit the parliament's official website.
http://www.parliamentofreligions2009.org/
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]
AUSTRALIANEMBASSYANKARA
MEDIA RESLEASE
24 January 2008
AUSTRALIA CELEBRATES ITS
NATIONAL DAY
Australia's Prime Minister, Mr. Kevin Rudd, has called on all Australians to celebrate
their National Day, 26 January.
Mr Rudd said that Australia Day was a time to celebrate what's great about Australia.
"It is an occasion, more than any other, when we express our national pride in our
distinctive landscape, our diverse society and our unique lifestyle," he said.
"In this spirit, we extend a warm welcome to our new citizens who will pledge their
loyalty to Australia and its people in 2008."
There are around 60,000 people with Turkish heritage living in Australia. As a result
there are strong people-to-people links between the two nations.
On 5 October 1967, the Australian and Turkish governments signed an agreement that
led to the first assisted migration of people from Turkey to live and work in Australia.
This year the Australian Embassy in Ankara will bring to Turkey a photographic
exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of Turkish migration to Australia.
Turkey and Australia enjoy a unique friendship and strong historical links formed as a
result of the Çanakkale Wars (Gallipoli Campaign) in 1915.
Australia and Turkey are also important trading partners. Between 2002-03 and 200607 two-way trade grew by more than 86 per cent to AUD 969 million (approximately
1 billion New Turkish Lira). Gold, goods vehicles, glassware, fruit and nuts are some
of the items that Australia imports from Turkey. Principal Australian exports to
Turkey are coal, aluminium, lead, and gold.
For media contact: Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade, Public Diplomacy Manager
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]
21 January 2008
Turkish Scholars Win Australian
Scholarships
Ten Turkish scholars are packing their bags for Australia after winning a "2008
Endeavour Award" to study at an Australian university. The 10 won scholarships for
post-graduate study after taking part in an internationally competitive and merit-based
selection process.
In Ankara, Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Peter Doyle, congratulated those who
had won the prestigious awards.
"I'd like to congratulate all ten winners of the Endeavour Awards Programme. I'm
sure that they will all enjoy their study and the experience of living in Australia. I’m
confident that these talented and highly motivated people will contribute to, and learn
from, their work in Australia. In doing so, they will enrich Australia, as well as
Turkey," Doyle said.
"Australia sees these scholarships as an important element of its strong bilateral ties
with Turkey. I am pleased that the successful scholars will be pursuing studies in a
wide range of disciplines from education and the arts to cutting-edge science,
including genetics and cancer research," Doyle added.
The 10 scholarship winners are from various universities in Turkey and they will
spend between four months and a year in their specific fields at Australia's top
universities.
An Australian has also won a scholarship to study in Turkey.
The Endeavour Awards Programme is an Australian Government initiative that brings
high achieving students, researchers and professionals from around the world to
Australia for study, research or professional development in a broad range of
disciplines. The Programme also enables Australians to do the same abroad.
The Turkish Endeavour Scholars will return to Turkey with improved academic
qualifications, and with a greater understanding of Australia and the education
opportunities it offers.
The awarding of 10 scholarships for 2008 is an increase from the four that were
awarded to Turkish scholars in 2007.
Details of the award winners:
2008 Endeavour Award for Turkey recipients:
Ms Duygu Beykal, a graduate of Sabancı University, Department of Visual Arts and
Visual Communication Design, will undertake a masters degree on visual and
performing arts at the University of Sydney.
Mr Cavit Hacihamdioglu from Akdeniz University will undertake a Doctorate in
Philosophy at the Austalian National University in Canberra.
Mr Basar Oku will study for a Doctorate in molecular bioscience at the University of
Queensland. His thesis will focus on the "discovery of novel genes coding for circular
proteins and their processing mechanisms."
2008 Endeavour Executive Award recipient:
Associate Prof. Fatih Tasar from Gazi University, Department of Science Education,
will be at RMIT University in Melbourne to observe and participate in teacher
training activities, conduct collaborative research, examine in-service teacher
development programs, schools systems, science and technology cirricula, textbooks
and school facilities and to develop relationships for future collaboration.
2008 Endeavour Research Fellowship recipients:
Assistant Prof. Gassan Koklu from Namik Kemal University in Tekirdag, Faculty of
Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection, will work at the University of
Queensland, Molecular Bioscience Technologies, Emerging Technologies Unit.
Mr Serdar Degirmencioglu who used to be based at Beykent University, Department
of Psychology will study at Victoria University. He will study community-based
organizations in Melbourne, particularly those that focus on children and youth.
Ms Ayse Kizildag from Cukurova University, Faculty of Education, will study
teacher decision making strategies in handling disruptive behaviour: two cases
(Australia and Turkey) at either Victoria University or Edith Cowan University.
Dr Ozlem Demirkiran from Trakya University, Faculty of Science and Arts,
Department of Chemistry, will conduct research on isolating anti-cancerous
compounds from sea plants at Griffith University.
Professor Berna Tunali from Ondokuz Mayis University in Samsun, Faculty of
Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection will conduct research on the molecular
structure of wheat at Queenland Univerity.
Mr Mustafa Cakir from Marmara University, Ataturk Education Faculty, Department
of Biology Teacher Training, will conduct research on science teaching at RMIT
University.
The Australian awardee
Mr David Tittensor will study at Bilkent University in the field of arts, humanities and
social sciences.
For further information:
On the 2008 Endeavour Awards: www.endeavour.dest.gov.au
On Studying in Australia: http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au
Or contact
Elif Barutcuoglu-Wade
Public Diplomacy Manager
Australian Embassy, Ankara
Phone: 0312-459 9504
e-mail: [email protected]


Welcome Speech by HE Mr Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey
Speech by Mr Cemal Akdeniz, Head of Melbourne 40th Anniversary
Committee
Welcome Speech by HE Mr Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey
Mr Mehmet Ali Karamemis, Chairman of Nu-Door and President of Australian
Turkish Business and Industry
Mr Ahmet Gökmen, Head of Executive Board, AGP Australia
Mr Cemal Akdeniz, Head of the 40th Anniversary Committee
And Mr Suha Okul, General Manager of Pemi
Distinguished guests
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the exhibition ‘We came as workers- We
stayed as citizens. This exhibition celebrates the 40th anniversary of Turkish
migration to Australia.
The Turkish-Australian community in Victoria, Australia’s second most populous
state, decided that they would put together an exhibition to mark this important
anniversary. They did so in partnership with the Immigration Museum, Museum
Victoria, Melbourne. This exhibition was launched last year and we decided we
would bring it to Turkey. After Ankara, the exhibition will travel to Istanbul next
month, and then to Çanakkale and Mersin in September. Çanakkale because of the
strong Australian links coming from the Çanakkale War. Mersin because a number of
people migrated from that part of the country to Australia and as an expression of
thanks to the authorities and people of Mersin who assisted Australians evacuated
from Lebanon in the summer of 2006.
As many of you know, Australia is a nation of immigrants. Most Australians are
either the sons or daughters, or grandsons and granddaughters of immigrants. Today,
almost one in four Australians was born overseas and cultural diversity has become a
touchstone of Australia’s national identity. We regard our diversity as an important
element of our strength as a nation.
We are fortunate to have Australians of Turkish origin who have made such a strong
contribution to our country. There are a number of very successful Australian
businessmen of Turkish origin who retain their links with Turkey, who not only trade
and invest here, but also stimulate interest about Turkey in Australia and about
Australia in Turkey.
Some of these community leaders are sponsors of our exhibition. I would like to thank
Mehmet Ali Karamemiş of Nu Doors Pty.Ltd, Sleepcraft Distributors Pty Ltd, Mr
Ahmet Gökmen of AGP Australia Pty.Ltd, Komtel Business Solutions.
I also gratefully acknowledge the support of Incremental Petroleum
Limited/Petroleum Exploration Mediterranean Int Pty. Ltd (PEMI), (an Australian
company operating in Turkey); the Ankara Greater Municipality; Beşiktaş
Municipality; Radyo ODTU and Today’s Zaman for their generous support.
Australia and Turkey enjoy a unique friendship. The strong people-to-people links
established and fostered by the Australian-Turkish community play an important role
in sustaining and deepening this. Thank you for joining us this evening and I hope you
enjoy the exhibition.
Speech by Mr Cemal Akdeniz, Head of Melbourne 40th Anniversary
Committee
HE Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey and Distinguished guests
Before the Ambassador took office in Turkey, he met the Committee members in
Melbourne on 26 July 2007 where he received information concerning the 40th
Anniversary activities. He made a request for staging the exhibition section of the
planned activities, which also comprises a book, seminars, festivals and activities
from Turkey, in Ankara after it was launched at the Museum Victoria Immigration
Museum in Melbourne. We are delighted to see the Ambassador's efforts to finalise
this activity through corresponding with the authorities of Museum Victoria
Immigration Museum and our committee.
The 40th Anniversary of Turkish immigration to Australia has the purpose of
documenting the existence, working lives and experience of Turkish society settled in
Australia.
These people worked in a country where they did not know the language, the religion
and work culture. They worked non-stop in heavy industry, metal factories, foundries,
car manufacturing factories, fabric and textile industries and similar workplaces. They
prospered and contributed to the Australian economy.
Despite the difficulties experienced by the first arrivals, they made a great effort to
settle permanently in multicultural Australia. They succeeded in opening mosques,
sports clubs, social associations, worship houses (Cemevi) and weekend Turkish
schools in several regions. We are delighted to see Turkish radio programs, weekly
Turkish newspapers, a daily Internet gazette, dynamic entrepreneurs arising from the
community's bosom. Our young people are acquiring professional occupations,
becoming industrialists and successful award winning business owners from multiple
sectors. Our community members have become journalists, writers, members of
parliament, mayors, sportsmen in various areas, doctors, engineers, architects,
lawyers, accountants and teachers. In addition to this, we are happy to see hundreds of
our students registering at universities, attending skill courses at vocational schools.
Considering the private schools which were opened recently, 100 percent of students
have succeeded in entering university and this is the product of the efforts spent to
increase our national pride.
I would like to congratulate everyone who contributed to these efforts. I believe that
we deserve to celebrate our 40th Anniversary in the light of such wonderful
developments. I would like to offer my thanks and regards to the government of
Victoria and its official institutions, the Australian businessmen of Turkish origin, the
government of Turkish Republic, the Turkish Ambassador to Australia, the Turkish
Consul General in Melbourne, the Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Turkish
community members, committee members and distinguished guests who participate
here today for their kind support.
On behalf of the Melbourne 40th Anniversary Committee, I would like to present this
plaque to Ambassador Peter Doyle to convey greetings of Australian Turkish
community in Australia.
NATIONAL EDUCATION MINISTER DR HUSEYIN CELIK
OPENS AN AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY FUNDED PROJECT
WITH AMBASSADOR PETER DOYLE
IN FARUK KOSEBASI VILLAGE IN VAN
National Education Minister Dr Huseyin Celik and Ambassador Peter Doyle attended
an official opening of an educational development project in Van organised by a Van
NGO with funding support from the Australian Embassy on 26 July 2008.
The Australian Embassy in Ankara funded a project in the village of Faruk Kosebasi
in Van. The Embassy gave a grant of YTL 14,000 to establish a computer laboratory
in the village under our Direct Aid Programme (DAP). The Project was carried out by
Van Stability and Social Development Association (Van Istikrar ve Sosyal Kalkinma
Dernegi).
Sixteen students who had completed a computer course received their certificates
from Minister Celik, Ambassador Doyle, Governor Cakacak and other officials.
Another 140 students from Faruk Kosebasi and other nearby villages will complete
the computer course by the end of this year.
Minister Celik said that 'Many friendships start with disputes. They (Australians)
fought against us during the First World War. However now we commemorate the
Anzacs. As a government we give special importance to Australia. Symbolically I
found it very meaningful that the Australian Embassy comes to the furthest east of
Turkey and opens a computer laboratory here'.
Ambassador Doyle said 'There are very few things in life more important other than
education. I am confident this project will help villagers in Van to achieve their aims.
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVENMENT CONTRIBUTES AUD 500,000 FOR EMERGENCY
APPEAL AFTER THE VAN EARTHQUAKE
In a letter from former Foreign Minister Rudd to Foreign Minister Davutoglu, and in a
personal conversation between Prime Ministers Gillard and Erdogan, the Australian
Government has expressed its deepest condolences to those who have lost family and
loved ones and deep sympathy to those whose homes and livelihoods have been taken
from them in the recent earthquake in eastern Turkey.
As a country that has also suffered from significant natural disasters, Australia
understands that rebuilding lives and devastated communities takes time and
resources. In that regard, Australia is contributing A$500,000 to the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Preliminary Emergency Appeal for the Van earthquake.
Australia’s contribution will support the Turkish Red Crescent Society in contributing
its relief distributions, emergency shelter and logistics activities.
Nick Sherry
Assistant Treasurer
9 June 2009 - 14 September 2010
NO.079
Australia and Turkey Sign Historic Tax Treaty
The Assistant Treasurer, Senator Nick Sherry, has announced that
Australia and Turkey have signed a new income tax treaty - the first
between the two countries.
"This historic treaty will promote closer economic cooperation
between our countries and is a great step forward for future trade
and investment flows," the Assistant Treasurer said.
"The new treaty will provide certainty and stability of tax treatment
for Australian and Turkish investors in each other's country and
reduce tax-related barriers."
"The treaty also expands Australia's tax treaty network with OECD
countries and boosts our world leading efforts against tax evasion."
The treaty was signed in Ankara last night by His Excellency Mr
Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey, and Mr Mehmet Kilci,
President of Revenue Administration, Turkish Ministry of Finance, in
the presence of Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, GovernorGeneral of the Commonwealth of Australia, and His Excellency Dr
Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey. The GovernorGeneral's official duties in Turkey also included attending the Anzac
Day memorial services at Gallipoli.
"Australia and Turkey have long shared a special relationship, which
has provided a solid foundation for our expanding economic and
investment relationship," the Assistant Treasurer said.
Tax treaties provide for the allocation of taxing rights between
countries over certain income, in order to prevent double taxation .
"Turkey is an increasingly important investment destination, with
privatisation programs and a growing Turkish market creating
opportunities for Australian businesses," the Assistant Treasurer
said.
"The treaty will help Australian business be more competitive and
simplify their dealings in Turkey."
"In particular, the treaty will substantially reduce withholding taxes
on certain dividend, interest and royalty payments."
"These changes reduce tax barriers to cross-border transfers by
Australian businesses of intellectual property, equity and finance for
expansion."
"The treaty will also maintain the integrity of Australia's tax base by
allowing the exchange of taxpayer information between Australian
and Turkish tax administrators."
"Tax evasion is a serious problem for all countries. Being able to
obtain information under tax treaties is a key tool in combating this
evasion," the Assistant Treasurer said.
The Convention will enter into force when both countries advise that
they have completed their domestic requirements. Legislation for
this purpose will be introduced in the Australian Parliament as soon
as practicable.
CANBERRA
29 April 2010
Attachment
Provisions of the new tax treaty with Turkey include:

Reductions in source-country withholding taxes on certain
cross-border payments of dividends, interest and royalties;

Rules to determine when an enterprise or an individual of one
country may be taxed on its activities abroad;

An agreed basis for determining the allocation of profits within
a multinational company to reflect the pricing that would be
adopted by independent parties. These rules are an important
tool in dealing with international profit shifting through transfer
pricing;

Rules that ensure that profits derived from the operation of
ships and aircraft in international traffic are generally taxed
only in the country of residence of the operator.

Rules for the taxation of income, profits or gains from the
alienation of property;

Provisions that provide for most pension and retirement
annuities, and lump sums paid after the age of 60 in lieu of a
right to receive a pension, to be taxed only in the country of
residence of the recipient. In respect of other lump sum
payments, taxing rights are to shared between the country of
residence and the country of source;

A general obligation for both countries to relieve double
taxation on cross-border income by permitting tax paid under
the other country's laws, and in accordance with the proposed
Treaty, to be allowed as a credit against tax payable under
their own laws;

Mechanisms through which the Australian and Turkish
administrators may by mutual agreement resolve tax disputes
and relieve double taxation;

Rules to protect nationals and companies of one country from
tax discrimination in the other country; and

A framework to provide for the full exchange of taxpayer
information.
Anzac Day 2012
Welcome to Lone Pine
Ian Biggs
Australian Ambassador to Turkey
Welcome to this service commemorating the 97th anniversary of the Anzac
landings, and to Lone Pine. In particular, I have the privilege of welcoming:
• guests from Australia, including:
o the Prime Minister, the Honourable Julia Gillard;
o members of the Australia-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group;
o His Eminence Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney;
o the Honourable Don Harwin, President of the New South Wales Legislative
Council;
o Mr Frank McGuire, Member for Broadmeadows in the Victorian Legislative
Assembly;
o the Secretaries of the Departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Veterans’
Affairs, and Foreign Affairs and Trade;
o the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown;
o the Chair of the Anzac Centenary Advisory Board, Air Chief Marshal Angus
Houston; and
o Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith;
• from New Zealand, which is half the Anzac story:
o the Minister of Immigration, Minister for Racing, Minister of Veterans' Affairs,
and Associate Minister for Primary Industries, the Honourable Nathan Guy; and
o the Vice Chief of Defence Force, Admiral Jack Steer; and
• from the United Kingdom:
o the Vice Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton; and
o Commonwealth War Graves Commissioner, Professor Hew Strachan.
And I wish to acknowledge once more the Governor of Çanakkale, His
Excellency Mr Güngör Azim Tuna, representing the Republic of Turkey. Through
him, I again thank the Turkish Prime Ministry, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs,
Forestry and Water Affairs, and Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Armed Forces,
the Turkish Jandarma and Police, and the other agencies that make these
commemorations possible, and the people of Çanakkale Province, who are so
warmly welcoming of so very many Australians and New Zealanders.
Diplomatic, consular and military representatives of the nations whose people
fought and died on this peninsula, Simpson Prize winners, ladies and gentlemen,
friends…
The lone pine is a powerful image of resilience and a marker for sacred space. The
tree in our midst today is not the 1915 original, which did not survive the shelling.
And I hope it does not detract from the magic of the name if I mention that it is
supposed to have been inspired by the popular American song of the time, “The
Trail of the Lonesome Pine”. In Turkish, this place has a starker name: Bloody
Ridge. About 9,000 young Turks and Australians died or were wounded here
between the 6th and the 10th of August 1915, as the heroes of the Ottoman 16th
Division successfully defended their land – in close fighting with bayonets and
hand-grenades, in not much more than the space now occupied by this cemetery.
Seven Victoria Crosses were awarded and a legend was born – but, as you know,
the Allied forces did not get to Istanbul this way, nor force the Ottoman Empire
out of the Great War. The campaign as a whole ended with more than 140,000
Allied casualties (mainly British) and at least a quarter of a million Turkish
casualties, and an orderly evacuation at the end of the year.
We are in a Commonwealth war cemetery. For visitors recently arrived, let me
note that there are many similarly moving Turkish cemeteries dotted about the
Peninsula, where one can be reminded that like most warfare, the Gallipoli
campaign meant bereavement all round. A whole generation of Turks educated
under the reforms of the last years of the Ottoman Empire was lost. The shared
sorrow was best expressed in the famous words of their commander here, later
President Atatürk, magnanimously consoling the mothers of the Allied soldiers;
and we who are charged with promoting bilateral relations with Turkey can
rejoice in the way that a fierce battle has become a firm basis for friendship.
The Stone of Remembrance inscription in Commonwealth war cemeteries around
the world, “Their Name Liveth For Evermore”, was chosen by Nobel Literature
laureate Rudyard Kipling. And he was right: the names do live on, examined
afresh by generations of Australians visiting this site. The Anzacs who died here
for God, King and Empire would I am sure have been proud of the peaceable,
prosperous, inclusive community built on their readiness to serve. Their diaries
tell us they were fighting too for adventure and for their mates, and sometimes for
a distant vision of a world without war. They were surprisingly conscious that in
warfare they were asserting the sovereignty of newly minted nations, and
affirming the heroism, the nobility of ordinary people. The bush poet Banjo
Paterson, in the contemporaneous “We’re All Australians Now”, declared that
“now we know what nations know/And feel what nations feel”, and that “We
have, through what you boys have done,/A history of our own.”
So thank you all for coming here, right to the heart of Australian national identity,
and
Welcome to Lone Pine.
Anzac Day 2011
Welcome to Lone Pine
HE Ian Biggs
Australian Ambassador to Turkey
Welcome to this service commemorating the 96th anniversary of the Anzac landings,
and to Lone Pine. In particular, I have the privilege of welcoming:
Guests from Australia, led by:
• the Hon. Warren Snowdon, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Defence Science and
Personnel, and Indigenous Health, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the
Centenary of Anzac;
• the President of the Senate, Senator the Hon. John Hogg; and
• the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin;
and from New Zealand, which is half the Anzac story:
• the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Murray McCully; and
• the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Richard Rhys Jones; and
from the United Kingdom:
• the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.
And I wish to recognize the Governor of Çanakkale, Mr. Güngör Azim Tuna,
representing the Republic of Turkey. Through him, I thank the Turkish Prime
Ministry, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Forestry, and Culture
and Tourism, the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkish Police, and the other agencies
that make these commemorations possible, and the people of Çanakkale Province,
who are so warmly welcoming of so very many Australians and New Zealanders.
Diplomatic, consular and military representatives of the nations whose people fought
and died on this peninsula, ladies and gentlemen, friends...
The lone pine is a powerful symbol in Australian collective memory. The tree that
today dominates this site is not the original; that did not survive the shelling. This
battlefield has a more sombre name in Turkish memory, as Bloody Ridge (Kanlısırt).
About 9000 young men from Turkey and Australia died or were wounded here
between the 6th and the 10th of August 1915; and I mention homelands in that order
because the sacrifice – the casualty rate – was even higher on the Ottoman side,
among the heroes of the 16th Division successfully defending their own land: this
land. It was bitter, close fighting with bayonets and hand-grenades over an area the
size of – depending on the code you follow – a football field. Seven Victoria Crosses
were awarded, a legend was born, mateship was redefined, the courage was incredible
– yet it can be hard now to follow the strategic logic that brought the Anzacs to this
place: something to do with taking the Peninsula, storming on to Istanbul, opening the
Straits for Russia, and forcing the Ottoman Empire out of the Great War. And you all
know how the Gallipoli story ends, with more than 140,000 Allied casualties (mainly
British) and at least a quarter of a million Turkish casualties, and an orderly
evacuation at the end of the year.
Those of you from Australia know well why we are here – why this little place
(compared to the major battles of the Western Front, a mere sideshow) has for us the
power of Hastings or Waterloo or Gettysburg in other national stories. The Anzacs
thought they were fighting for God, King and Empire, and for adventure, their mates
and perhaps a distant vision of a world without war; but they were also, all
unknowing, asserting the sovereignty of newly minted nations, and affirming the
heroism, the nobility of ordinary people. Like all the best narratives, this one has
grown – an Australian diplomat serving in Ankara when the Embassy opened, 43
years ago, tells me that into the 1970s, Anzac Day was marked here by approximately
six people and a dog – but the foundation is all too real. The narrative has acquired
unexpected elements, as when archival research found that there had been Aboriginal
diggers (at least 500 over the duration of the First World War), risking their lives to
fight for a country that did not allow them to serve openly. To enlist, some pretended
to be Maori, or African American.
The narrative has also been growing for modern Turkey – visitors each year to the
national park are into the hundreds of thousands, monuments are being renewed, and
the detailed records of the campaign from the Ottoman side are being published. All
Turks know the words of their commander here, later President Atatürk,
magnanimously consoling the Anzacs’ mothers, and we who are charged with
promoting bilateral relations with Turkey can rejoice in the way that a fierce battle has
become a firm basis for friendship. Terrible things were happening in the world while
the Gallipoli campaign was underway – historians have compared the First World
War to the suicide of European civilisation – and those terrible things included the
loss through war of a whole generation of Turks educated under the reforms of the
last years of the Ottoman Empire. Yet in this campaign, another great nation, the
Republic of Turkey (proclaimed in 1923), was coming into view.
Education in the virtues of the Anzac experience is if anything deepening in Australia.
Social research for this year’s Anzac Centenary Commission has confirmed that the
Australian community expects our history of military service to be commemorated,
and has strong views about how this should happen, and what the commemorating
should communicate. One likes to trust that a primary lesson taken away from these
battlefields is of the horror and all too often the futility of war. We can honour the
sacrifice of the warriors buried here by working, in the words of the United Nations
Charter, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. There are other
qualities too that have come to be associated with the Anzac tradition – loyalty,
comradeship, endurance – and they are not fabrications; we can see them expressed in
the diaries and letters that have survived in such surprising numbers. Nor is there
anything maudlin or mawkish in the sentiments of the Anzacs – strong if not
necessarily silent types, and all volunteers. An Australian poet who fought here, Leon
Gellert, wrote a short poem that begins “When my poor body died” and continues “I
bowed and thanked the bit of shell/That set me free and made me glad” – so laconic
irony is another lesson for the learning.
This is a commemoration, and neither a celebration nor a funeral. Your presence here
is the answer to the challenge Siegfried Sassoon expressed in “Aftermath” at the end
of the War: “Have you forgotten yet? .../Look down, and swear by the slain of the
War that you'll never forget./…-/ Have you forgotten yet? .../Look up, and swear by
the green of the spring that you'll never forget.” Thank you all for coming, and for not
forgetting.
And welcome to Lone Pine.
Anzac Day 2011
Welcome to Lone Pine
HE Ian Biggs
Australian Ambassador to Turkey
Welcome to this service commemorating the 96th anniversary of the Anzac landings,
and to Lone Pine. In particular, I have the privilege of welcoming:
Guests from Australia, led by:
• the Hon. Warren Snowdon, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Defence Science and
Personnel, and Indigenous Health, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the
Centenary of Anzac;
• the President of the Senate, Senator the Hon. John Hogg; and
• the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin;
and from New Zealand, which is half the Anzac story:
• the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Murray McCully; and
• the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Richard Rhys Jones; and
from the United Kingdom:
• the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.
And I wish to recognize the Governor of Çanakkale, Mr. Güngör Azim Tuna,
representing the Republic of Turkey. Through him, I thank the Turkish Prime
Ministry, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Forestry, and Culture
and Tourism, the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkish Police, and the other agencies
that make these commemorations possible, and the people of Çanakkale Province,
who are so warmly welcoming of so very many Australians and New Zealanders.
Diplomatic, consular and military representatives of the nations whose people fought
and died on this peninsula, ladies and gentlemen, friends...
The lone pine is a powerful symbol in Australian collective memory. The tree that
today dominates this site is not the original; that did not survive the shelling. This
battlefield has a more sombre name in Turkish memory, as Bloody Ridge (Kanlısırt).
About 9000 young men from Turkey and Australia died or were wounded here
between the 6th and the 10th of August 1915; and I mention homelands in that order
because the sacrifice – the casualty rate – was even higher on the Ottoman side,
among the heroes of the 16th Division successfully defending their own land: this
land. It was bitter, close fighting with bayonets and hand-grenades over an area the
size of – depending on the code you follow – a football field. Seven Victoria Crosses
were awarded, a legend was born, mateship was redefined, the courage was incredible
– yet it can be hard now to follow the strategic logic that brought the Anzacs to this
place: something to do with taking the Peninsula, storming on to Istanbul, opening the
Straits for Russia, and forcing the Ottoman Empire out of the Great War. And you all
know how the Gallipoli story ends, with more than 140,000 Allied casualties (mainly
British) and at least a quarter of a million Turkish casualties, and an orderly
evacuation at the end of the year.
Those of you from Australia know well why we are here – why this little place
(compared to the major battles of the Western Front, a mere sideshow) has for us the
power of Hastings or Waterloo or Gettysburg in other national stories. The Anzacs
thought they were fighting for God, King and Empire, and for adventure, their mates
and perhaps a distant vision of a world without war; but they were also, all
unknowing, asserting the sovereignty of newly minted nations, and affirming the
heroism, the nobility of ordinary people. Like all the best narratives, this one has
grown – an Australian diplomat serving in Ankara when the Embassy opened, 43
years ago, tells me that into the 1970s, Anzac Day was marked here by approximately
six people and a dog – but the foundation is all too real. The narrative has acquired
unexpected elements, as when archival research found that there had been Aboriginal
diggers (at least 500 over the duration of the First World War), risking their lives to
fight for a country that did not allow them to serve openly. To enlist, some pretended
to be Maori, or African American.
The narrative has also been growing for modern Turkey – visitors each year to the
national park are into the hundreds of thousands, monuments are being renewed, and
the detailed records of the campaign from the Ottoman side are being published. All
Turks know the words of their commander here, later President Atatürk,
magnanimously consoling the Anzacs’ mothers, and we who are charged with
promoting bilateral relations with Turkey can rejoice in the way that a fierce battle has
become a firm basis for friendship. Terrible things were happening in the world while
the Gallipoli campaign was underway – historians have compared the First World
War to the suicide of European civilisation – and those terrible things included the
loss through war of a whole generation of Turks educated under the reforms of the
last years of the Ottoman Empire. Yet in this campaign, another great nation, the
Republic of Turkey (proclaimed in 1923), was coming into view.
Education in the virtues of the Anzac experience is if anything deepening in Australia.
Social research for this year’s Anzac Centenary Commission has confirmed that the
Australian community expects our history of military service to be commemorated,
and has strong views about how this should happen, and what the commemorating
should communicate. One likes to trust that a primary lesson taken away from these
battlefields is of the horror and all too often the futility of war. We can honour the
sacrifice of the warriors buried here by working, in the words of the United Nations
Charter, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. There are other
qualities too that have come to be associated with the Anzac tradition – loyalty,
comradeship, endurance – and they are not fabrications; we can see them expressed in
the diaries and letters that have survived in such surprising numbers. Nor is there
anything maudlin or mawkish in the sentiments of the Anzacs – strong if not
necessarily silent types, and all volunteers. An Australian poet who fought here, Leon
Gellert, wrote a short poem that begins “When my poor body died” and continues “I
bowed and thanked the bit of shell/That set me free and made me glad” – so laconic
irony is another lesson for the learning.
This is a commemoration, and neither a celebration nor a funeral. Your presence here
is the answer to the challenge Siegfried Sassoon expressed in “Aftermath” at the end
of the War: “Have you forgotten yet? .../Look down, and swear by the slain of the
War that you'll never forget./…-/ Have you forgotten yet? .../Look up, and swear by
the green of the spring that you'll never forget.” Thank you all for coming, and for not
forgetting.
And welcome to Lone Pine.