Summary

Alternative Name(s): Boutonnière, Rosemary Sprig

The buttonhole was one of two worn by Museum Victoria CEO Patrick Greene and his young son on 25 April 2014, during Anzac Day commemorations at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance. Rosemary sprigs are handed out and worn at Anzac Day services. Rosemary is is believed to improve the memory, and is a symbol of both fidelity and remembrance in literature and folklore. It grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula.

The 2014 Dawn Service at the Shrine, marking the 99th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, began at 6am. It was one of the coldest Anzac Day services in years, with the temperature dropping to six degrees. Lieutenant Neville Clark of the Royal Australian Artillery, Afghanistan war veteran Colonel Mark Jennings and Corporal Shannon French addressed the crowd of around 8,000 people. Clark told the crowd they came to commemorate and mourn, not to glorify war. He said 'Australians and New Zealanders fought in wars not to gain something...Australians and New Zealanders fought in war not to lose something: freedom.' Jennings spoke of the 'fierce pride' of the Anzacs that lived on in servicemen and women. One minute's silence was observed.

At 9am veterans, their descendants and current serving personnel gathered at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets to begin a parade to the Shrine of Remembrance. Thousands of people lined the route and gathered at the Shrine to watch. The parade paused for 20 minutes due to the heart attack of a veteran (who later recovered). As each unit arrived at the Shrine it laid a commemorative wreath. When all had gathered at the Shrine a Commemorative Service was conducted on the Shrine forecourt, including an address by the Governor of Victoria.

Physical Description

Buttonhole comprising a sprig of natural rosemary, a cloth poppy and a tiny Australian flag, with a pin for fastening.

Significance

These rosemary buttonholes were worn at the 2014 Anzac Day commemorations at the Shrine of Remembrance. The commemoration of the Gallipoli landings and the Anzac 'legend' has increased in popularity in recent years. Symbolic acts such as the wearing of rosemary for remembrance and connection to Gallipoli are carefully maintained by organisations such as the Shrine of Remembrance, the Returned and Services League of Australia and the Veterans' Unit of the Victorian Government, as well as soldiers, veterans and their families. These acts help to make sense of war service, wounding and death, whose impacts are felt throughout the lives of those who have served and their families.

Of particular significance is the wearing of these buttonholes by Museum Victoria CEO Patrick Greene and his young son. At the time, Greene was a recent immigrant to Australia, and was heading an organisation which had chosen to commemorate the centenary of World War I with an exhibition at Melbourne Museum focusing on the cost of the conflict to individuals and society (World War I: Love and Sorrow, opened on 30 August 2014).

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