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On the 11th of November, we pause in silence to remember those who gave their lives in war and conflict. Remembrance Day marks the moment the guns fell silent on the Western Front in 1918, bringing an end to the First World War. Across the world, this day unites communities in reflection including here in the Hawkesbury, where remembrance carries layers of meaning that reach far beyond our shores.
For Australians, the legacy of World War I is indelibly linked to Gallipoli that rugged peninsula in modern-day Turkikkeekek where, in 1915, young soldiers from Australia and New Zealand landed in one of the most challenging campaigns of the war. What began as a failed military strategy would come to define the spirit of a new nation: courage, mateship, and sacrifice in the face of impossible odds.
For Turkiye, WWI was equally transformative. Defending their homeland against the invasion, Ottoman soldiers led by a young officer named Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who would later found the modern Turkish Republic fought with extraordinary resilience and honour. The loss was immense on both sides, yet from the bloodshed emerged a mutual respect that has endured for more than a century.
Here in the Hawkesbury, that connection is deeply personal. Our Turkish Australian community, many of whom now call this region home, embody the peace and friendship that grew from that shared history. Where once our nations met in battle, today we stand side by side in remembrance united not by war, but by the enduring hope for peace.
Local Turkish Australian resident Eddie Dogramaci, who migrated from Istanbul in the 1970s, says Remembrance Day holds special significance for Turkish Australians:
“Gallipoli is a place of sorrow for both our peoples, but also of pride. My grandfather used to say that those young ANZAC soldiers were brave men, just like our own. Today, when I see Australians and Turks remembering together, I feel that our grandfathers would be proud of the friendship we have built.”
As the clock strikes eleven on November 11, the stillness will echo through memorials from Windsor to Wilberforce, from Richmond to Kurrajong. The red poppy will bloom once more as a symbol of remembrance, while for many, thoughts will also turn to the white headstones on the hills of Gallipoli, where Turkish and ANZAC soldiers alike rest under the same sky.
In remembering the past, we honour not only those who fought, but also those who have worked for reconciliation and understanding since. The story of Gallipoli, and the friendship that followed, reminds us that even out of the deepest wounds, humanity can grow something enduring: respect, peace, and shared remembrance.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to the mothers of fallen Australians:
“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours."
“You, the mothers,who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. “Your sons are now lying in our bossom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”
