A Community Remembers........

A  story of how the community of the city of Greater Dandenong remembered this Anzac Day by creating and then planting a garden of giant "Poppies for Peace" 

Bravo Dandenong

Tomorrow is two months to the day since the last blog.  Bad blog behaviour! But of course there's a very good reason (isn't there always?).  The reason is the poppy project which for Margaret and myself has been overwhelming.

 As tomorrow is Anzac Day  today just happens to feel like the best day to write this blog

Part one of the Poppies For Peace project is now finished.  We have loved every minute of working for the City of Greater Dandenong.  Such an amazing community of so many nationalities .  We had so much enthusiastic help. Fifteen wonderful workshops with schoolchildren, fantastic teachers and  amazing community groups with wonderful and caring leaders. Everyone keen to help make a giant poppy.  All aware that each of our poppies represented a life lost from the country town of Dandenong during the Great war. 

Being involved in a project like this inevitably  becomes a very emotional experience. The Gallipoli centenary is by its very nature distressing so to spend two months working with so many different people from all over the world,  all  wanting to contribute to something they see as important as part of their life as an Aussie, makes for a pretty impressive experience. 

Pictures are far better than words at telling a story so today its the movie.

  Tomorrow, to mark the actual day it will be the story in stills.  

Next week  -   behind the scenes and hows and whys of the poppy design and construction.