The vibrant red poppy was one of the first plants to spring from the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium after the First World War and it has today become a powerful symbol of remembrance.
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November 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the Great War and on Wednesday the Australian War Memorial kicked off the commemorative program with the launch of a campaign urging Australians to “pop a poppy” on their cars.
Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson said purchasing and displaying the large, plastic poppy was a simple, yet powerful gesture, of recognition.
“All of us are beneficiaries of everything that the Australian War Memorial represents,” Dr Nelson said.
“Putting a poppy on your car is a very simple way of saying, ‘I care and I remember’. It marks you as a person who wants to say, ‘I am grateful for the men and women of our defence forces, whose sacrifices have given us the freedoms that we enjoy today’.”
He urged all motorists to get behind the campaign.
“But if you haven’t got a car you can always put it on your letterbox. You can put it anywhere – just put a poppy on something that’s important to you and show your respect for our servicemen and servicewomen.”
The memorial will run a five-week commemorative program to mark the Armistice anniversary in October and November.
Other programs include the installation of 62,000 knitted poppies on the grounds of the memorial, image projections, a special exhibition, musical performances, and the projection of a beam of light from the memorial to Parliament House.
“This light will be a reminder to everyone that decisions made by people at Parliament House always come at a cost,” he said.
Commemorative car poppies are now available from the Memorial shop and online for $9.99. Proceeds from the sales will help support Legacy and the Memorial. Dr Nelson is also hoping a national retailer will make the poppies available.
