Saturday, 20 April 2019

Installing Anzac Day Crochet at Brighton Jetty



Visitors to Brighton Beach, South Australia, can now observe a beautiful Anzac Day tribute created by Dianne Schroeder.  It was a privilege to spend an hour with some lovely ladies, helping them to put up the banners made up of hundreds and hundreds of crocheted poppies.



Grey billowing clouds hover above the horizon of St Vincents Gulf. The water is calm. In the foreground, along the esplanade, are two mesh banners with the words "Lest we forget" and "Anzac" arranged in red poppies that have been knitted or crocheted. Each banner has a poppy border. Between the banners is a large stone with commemoration plaques on them relating to the jetty's history. The Brighton jetty can be seen on the left jutting out into the gulf. On the jetty one can see a communications tower in the shape of a ship's crow's nest, a sunshade and a curved sculpture that plays musical notes when the wind blows through it. A person and dog are walking on the jetty towards the shore.
"LEST WE FORGET" & "ANZAC" banners
facing the Esplanade, adjacent to the Brighton Memorial Arch

This is the fifth year of Dianne’s display. By now, Dianne and her family team have streamlined their installation methods.  Their well-practised pace was swift but my first-timer efforts were a bit slow so I am not sure that I was much help at all!  Whether I was a help or a hindrance, I will never know because everyone was so polite and welcoming to me.

Two ladies are unrolling the "Lest we forget" banner. The banner itself is transparent mesh and the words are made of poppies. At left is the creator of the artwork, Dianne, holding the left hand edge of the banner while her sister, Narelle, is unrolling the other end of the banner. Behind them are metal fencing rails, and beyond that the rocks, the beach and the waters of St Vincents Gulf. Dianne has long, dark, straight hair worn in a low ponytail and is wearing a blue and white patterned top. Narelle has shoulder length, light, straight hair and is wearing glasses and a teal top.
Dianne & Narelle, unfurling a banner.



A view from the jetty looking back towards the esplanade. The Esplanade Hotel can be seen in the background with its curved corner windows. In the background on the right one can see a portion of the Brighton Memorial Arch, the site of Anzac Day dawn services. The arch is painted in a cream colour with brown marbled tiles at its foundations. Along the jetty railings at left, Dianne and her daughter, Catherine, are attaching the banner "We will remember them" which is written in red crocheted and knitted poppies. Dianne is standing with her long dark hair in a single braid which hangs in front of her left shoulder where she has a croched poppy pinned to her top. Catherine is sitting down cross-legged and wearing a pink T-shirt and dark shorts with her dark straight hair also in a braid. Behind them, stands another red banner, still rolled up, waiting to be installed.
Dianne & Catherine
attaching a banner
to the balustrade.

It is very much a family affair because Dianne started this project in recognition of her grandfather who was an Anzac serviceman.  Her first display was in 2015 and so well-received by the public that the Holdfast Bay Council invited her to do it each year since.  Slowly it has grown to include the “Army”, “Navy” and “Air Force” banners and each year, Dianne improves the display in some way.



At the start of the Brighton jetty, on the left hand railings are three transparent mesh banners spelling out words made by crocheted and knitted poppies: "Army", "Navy" and "Air force" in capital letters. there is a yellow hopscotch court painted on the jetty pavement in front of the banners. Beyond the jetty is Brighton beach with further views to Marino, Hallett Cove and Port Stanvac. The water of St Vincents Gulf is calm with an overcast sky.
Banners on southern side:
"ARMY", "NAVY" and "AIR FORCE"

Thank you to everyone who provided extra poppies for this year’s display. Dianne received about 500 poppies which were used to reinvigorate the “Lest We Forget” and “Anzac” banners by filling in gaps.  A denser arrangement makes the banner more eye-catching and easy to read.




Next to the "We will remember them" banner (the edge of which can be seen at leftt), is a dedication, the details of which can be read in a close-up photo elsewhere in this blog entry. Behind the dedication are northerly views along the coastline. From left to right one can see the waters of St Vincents Gulf, people walking along the beach, a rocky foreshore and a line of Norfolk pine trees marking the esplanade. In the foreground on the right hand side, is the rear view of the "Lest we forget" and "Anzac" banners which are facing the esplanade.
Dedication with northerly views
of Brighton beach and foreshore

















It is clear that the community respects and appreciates Dianne’s work very much. As we were attaching the banners to the jetty railings, passers-by approached Dianne and gave thanks.  No sooner had we all left the finished installation than a group of 6 or more people had gathered around to admire the work.  



Dianne can be very proud of her crocheted contribution to our community.

At the start of the Brighton jetty, on the right railings, a transparent mesh banner displays the words, "We will remember them" in crocheted and knitted poppies. The banner has a line of red poppies around its border. A yellow hopscotch court is painted on the jetty pavement in the foreground. Beyond the jetty, looking north, is Brighton beach. There is a signpost behind the jetty warning people not to jump or dive from the jetty. The water of St Vincents Gulf is calm with an overcast sky.
Banner on northern side:
"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"







Anzac Day is commemorated on 25 April each year in Australia and New Zealand. At Brighton, the annual Dawn Service is held at the Memorial Arch in front of the Brighton jetty.  It is an especially moving service because it overlooks the beach. It is said that the dawn light over the beach is similar to the conditions faced by the servicemen during the battle at Gallipoli.

A close-up of the dedication attached to the jetty next to the poppy installations. It has a blue border with a photograph of a field of poppies. A strip of text is in the middle with the following words: We honour all the men and women that have served our country, in all conflicts that Australia has been involved in. Poppies made by knitters and crocheters from local craft groups, schools, churches, the Holdfast community and the greater South Australian community. Created by Dianne Schroeder. Ph: xxxxxxxxxxx [I have purposely not reproduced Dianne's phone number here. If you wish to contact her, please leave a message at the end of this blog post or email jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com]
Dedication:
We honour all the men and women that have served our country,
in all conflicts that Australia has been involved in.
Poppies made by knitters and crocheters from local craft groups, schools, churches,
the Holdfast community and the greater South Australian community.
Created by Dianne Schroeder. Ph: xxxxxxxxxx




Further Information



Australian War Memorial, “Anzac Day”, accessed 18 April 2019: https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac-day

Brighton RSL Sub-Branch, “Anzac Day”, accessed 18 April 2019: http://www.brightonrsladelaide.com.au/anzac-day/

Glam Adelaide, “Adelaide ANZAC Day Services, Events & What’s Open Guide”, 9 April 2019: https://glamadelaide.com.au/adelaide-anzac-day-services-events-whats-open-guide/
This site states it is “your 2018 guide” but the publication date is 2019 and the list of events is quoted as correct as of 5 April 2019. 

Returned & Services League of Australia [RSL] (South Australian Branch), “Anzac Day in Adelaide”, accessed 18 April 2019: http://rslsa.org.au/anzac-day-2/ 

Returned & Services League of Australia [RSL]: http://rslnational.org/ 

Returned & Services League of Australia [RSL] (South Australian Branch): http://rslsa.org.au/
 

Related Posts on Lupey Loops



“Call for South Australian Poppies”, 14 March 2019: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2019/03/call-for-south-australian-poppies.html 

"Brighton Jetty Anzac Display", 12 May 2016: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2016/05/brighton-jetty-anzac-display.html

"Poppy Patterns", 20 April 2015: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2015/04/poppy-patterns.html

"Poppy-tunities to Participate", 9 September 2017: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2017/09/poppy-tunities-to-participate.html
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6 comments:

  1. Meredith22/04/2019, 07:50

    Such an amazing piece for remembrance. Thank you for sharing and helping my friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie27/04/2019, 21:57

      Yes, Dianne has done a marvellous job and made a big commitment to our local community. She deserves plenty of recognition for her efforts.

      Delete
  2. handmade by amalia26/04/2019, 15:11

    This is an amazing display indeed. Is she the lady who was invited to the Chelsea Flower Show to display her poppies? And I'm sorry to have been MIA. Its been such a busy time that I didn't get here in time to wish you Happy Easter. Hope you had a lovely one.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie27/04/2019, 22:10

      Hi Amalia,

      The lady you are thinking of is Melbourne-based Lynn Berry OAM of the 5000 Poppies project. This year she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to Veterans and the community.

      The details of the 5000 Poppies project website are:

      Berry, L. & Knight, M., 5000 Poppies: a Community Tribute of Respect and Remembrance, web site: https://5000poppies.wordpress.com

      If you would like to see Lynn's blog about the Chelsea flower show, just put the word "Chelsea" in the search box on the 5000 Poppies website. 'Here's one I prepared earlier':

      https://5000poppies.wordpress.com/?s=chelsea

      Just copy and paste those web addresses into your browser!
      To read about Lynn's journey, try this one:

      https://5000poppies.wordpress.com/about/

      April has been very busy here because we had Easter and Anzac Day in the same week together with two family birthdays. I spent my Easter with family and hot cross buns! I hope you also had a nice Easter. I am thinking that your Easter would be full of pretty handmade mementos. Belated Easter Greetings both ways! xx

      Delete
  3. Winkel's Crazy Ideas03/05/2019, 00:32

    Such a beautiful display, and a special, lovely way of remembering. Pam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie06/05/2019, 15:00

      For Dianne and her family, it was an extremely personal act of love and remembrance which gained the respect and appreciation of the community at large.

      Delete

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