Matt

@vonderleyen It was an honour to host the President, accompanied by HE General Angus Campbell and HE Gabriel Visentin.

It was an honour to stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and to witness the Last Post at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. From Europe, we remember with gratitude the sacrifice and courage of the many Australians who stood beside us in the long and fragile pursuit of peace and freedom. “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.”

Today is 80 years since Victory in the Pacific, marking the end of WWII for Australians. I’m privileged to have attended the Last Post Ceremony at @AWMemorial alongside WWII veterans to honour the service and sacrifice of those who served in the armed forces during the war.

Australian War Memorial Wins Big at Interior Design Awards eglobaltravelmedia.com.au/2025/06/30/aus…

Pleased to meet with @CDS_Canada_CEMD General Jennie Carignan on her first official visit to Australia. We discussed the strong co-operation between our two defence forces. 🇦🇺🤝🇨🇦

To all the ladies in the green - Happy International Women’s Day! 💚💜

It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve the nation as the Chief of the Defence Force, July 2018 – July 2024.

The contemporary artwork, 'For Every Drop Shed in Anguish' (2022 - 2023), was dedicated in an official ceremony this morning. Learn more at brnw.ch/21wHcCC #AWMemorial #ForEveryDropShedinAnguish #SufferingsofWar

I’ve signed up for the Starlight Super Swim Challenge. Make a donation today to help me make a splash for sick kids in hospital. superswim.org.au/m-anderson-1 #SuperSwim via @Starlight_star

On November 7th, 1920, in strictest secrecy, four unidentified British bodies were exhumed from temporary battlefield cemeteries at Ypres, Arras, the Asine and the Somme. None of the soldiers who did the digging were told why. The bodies were taken by field ambulance to GHQ at St-Pol-Sur-Ter Noise. Once there, the bodies were draped with the union flag. Sentries were posted and Brigadier-General Wyatt and a Colonel Gell selected one body at random. The other three were reburied. A French Honour Guard was selected and stood by the coffin overnight of the chosen soldier overnight. On the morning of the 8th November, a specially designed coffin made of oak from the grounds of Hampton Court arrived and the Unknown Warrior was placed inside. On top was placed a crusaders sword and a shield on which was inscribed: "A British Warrior who fell in the GREAT WAR 1914-1918 for King and Country". On the 9th of November, the Unknown Warrior was taken by horse-drawn carriage through Guards of Honour and the sound of tolling bells and bugle calls to the quayside. There, he was saluted by Marechal Foche and loaded onto HMS Vernon bound for Dover. The coffin stood on the deck covered in wreaths, surrounded by the French Honour Guard. Upon arrival at Dover, the Unknown Warrior was met with a nineteen gun salute - something that was normally only reserved for Field Marshals. A special train had been arranged and he was then conveyed to Victoria Station, London. He remained there overnight, and, on the morning of the 11th of November, he was finally taken to Westminster Abbey. The idea of the unknown warrior was thought of by a Padre called David Railton who had served on the front line during the Great War the union flag he had used as an altar cloth whilst at the front, was the one that had been draped over the coffin. It was his intention that all of the relatives of the 517,773 combatants whose bodies had not been identified could believe that the Unknown Warrior could very well be their lost husband, father, brother or son... THIS is the reason we wear poppies. We do not glorify war. We remember - with humility - the great and the ultimate sacrifices that were made, not just in this war, but in every war and conflict where our service personnel have fought - to ensure the liberty and freedoms that we now take for granted. Every year, on the 11th of November, we remember the Unknown Warrior. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

I had the honour of visiting the Krait today (@seamuseum_ ) to remember this remarkable moment in Australian military history and to honour those who wrote it through their courage and audacity.

A special moment at the Australian National Memorial laying our jersey for Wallaby number 130, William Tasker, who lost his life in France during World War I. 📍 Villers-Bretonneux, France

Today, the @AWMemorial is pleased to unveil a fully restored North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco, model 639, which played a key role in the Vietnam War. The Memorial has been working on the front-line Bronco since it arrived from the Philippines on #HMASTobruk 16 years ago.

In the Last Post Ceremony for 18 August 2023, Vietnam Veterans' Day, we remember and pay tribute to Private David John E Fisher's service in the Vietnam War. A recording of this ceremony is available: brnw.ch/21wBLly

Today is Vietnam Veterans’ Day, where we remember all our Vietnam veterans. We give thanks and pay our respects to the men and women commemorated here on the Roll of Honour, and to the survivors who came home. ▶️ Vietnam Veterans' Day Last Post Ceremony: brnw.ch/21wBKUH

Lte Barbara Black’s story is the first of my Last Post Ceremony stories to be delivered. She was an incredible young woman. It was an honour to be able to tell her story, lay a wreath, and see how much it meant to the nursing representatives from the ADF and @acn_tweet.

It was an honour to attend the unveiling of the Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel sculpture at the @AWMemorial; an enduring symbol commemorating the devotion to duty, remarkable courage & deep sacrifice made by Australian military nurses serving our country.

Today, the @AWMemorial unveiled a sculpture to commemorate Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel. A collaboration with the @acn_tweet, the sculpture recognises not only Bullwinkel, but all Australian nurses who have served. Watch the dedication ceremony: fal.cn/3AnMc