We have a tradition in our family of doing something with the kids in the lead up to Anzac Day to give them more of a connection with the day. Although we live in a world where terrorism is in the news regularly, there is less mention of war. We certainly live a truly blessed life here in Australia, where our kids’ lives are not impacted directly by war. Long may that be the case. However, I think it is good for them to be reminded of the sacrifices of those in the armed forces, past and present.
I saw photos of the poppy display at Terrigal Skillion on Instgram and it looked spectacular so that’s where we headed.
THE POPPY PROJECT
The Poppy Project has been installed to commemorate the 100 Years of Anzac Centenary (2014-2018). Poppy Project: Never Forgetting the Sacrifices encourages the community to come together in memory off those who have gone before.
The poppy field forms a symbol of respect to show that the service and sacrifice provided by men and women of our nation, past and present, is remembered and appreciated.
More than 60,000 poppies form the display which spells out the word ANZAC.The poppies were distributed in kit form to schools, large community organisations and individuals who assembled them for display. One local, Falvie Boyton, assembled 2000 poppies! What a champion effort from one person.
OUR EXPERIENCE
The traffic moved at a slow pace through Terrigal allowing us time to appreciate the poppy display from the distance. It is quite spectacular with the ocean skirting either side of the skillion.
Being on a hill provides a spectacular display but it required a spectacular display of muscle to get BJ and his chair to the top. I thought we’d just go to the base of the poppies but Hubby decided to push on a bit further and once he got the chair half-way (he has now read this and declares it was three quarters of the way! Pardon my error Hubby!) I decided to give it a go and we got to the top.
The view from the top was worth the push. Looking at the poppies with the view of Terrigal Beach in the background almost made me forget how much my legs were aching. Must do more exercise!
TIPS
This is not a wheelchair accessible venue which I feel conflicted about. There is no doubt that it provides a stunning place for the poppies but I feel many of the people wanting to see such a display would be those with limited mobility. Last year when we visited Poppy Park at Penrith there was matting down to make it easier for those with walking frames and wheelchairs. There were many older people there admiring the display who I am sure had a connection to the service men and women represented.
The good news is that because the Poppy Project is on a hill it can be admired from the comfort of a car driving by which is what many people were doing. It certainly made for a slow trip into the car park but I can certainly understand why this would be preferable for many.
We stayed for sunset which was stunning and enjoyed a take-away fish and chips from The Haven Beach Café which is on the waterfront.
You can read our other ideas for making Anzac Day meaningful for kids here in last year’s post.
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Hi Julie,
I am indeed appreciative of your post, and in particular your spectacular display of muscle, which ensured together, you could both experience the really close option of our special community-inspired Poppy Project: Never Forgetting the Sacrifices at Terrigal in 2016.
This event (along with Poppy Project: Never Forgetting the Sacrifices-Gosford 2015) was created by one very determined historian with an arts background, and conceptualised early in 2014. Well over 60,000 poppies were distributed across the Central Coast to symbolise the loss of lives to Australia during the First World War.
Having two cousins wheelchair bound, it was a personal mission to ensure that all people could at least have an opportunity to view the display, be that from afar or near. I appreciate how conflicted you are in the availability of wheelchair friendly sites and in the restrictive nature of many. This was one very important considerations in choosing Terrigal Skillion (also known ‘Kurrawyba’) for this ANZAC poppy display – so all people had a choice to either view the display from below, if seated in the nearby Restaurant ‘Splash’, if driving by, or accessing the site. It was of vital importance that our Central Coast ANZAC installation was engaging for as many viewers as possible.
I have witnessed some amazing sights while on site at Terrigal Skillion from April 14 to April 29, 2016, with observing some elderly leaving their walking frames below due to their overpowering determination to climb the steep incline to reach the top to view the poppies. Some would take rest on bench seats on the way up, others would pause, take a rest and continue on their way until they reached the top.
Seeing your image has warmed my heart so very much, and shows that we can overcome hurdles that may present along our way. Had I seen you myself, I would have helped push the wheelchair!
On the weekends and on Anzac Day, down below the poppies near the roadside, the provision to ‘make, have made and then stake your own poppy’ was available to all people to be a part of the Poppy Project. People could write the names of war personnel and then they were added to our display. Some chose to take their poppy home as a memento. Some people participating in this activity were people that could not easily access the site.
One of the really lovely things about this event is that aerial footage was captured in both Gosford 2015 and Terrigal 2016. A chance meeting with SkyMedia the day before the Poppy Installation when marking out the ANZAC lettering ensured I would at least have this event documented for many purposes. As such, many helicopters and drones were used to capture our ANZAC Poppy installation.
Please do take the opportunity to have a look at the Poppy Project: Never Forgetting the Sacrifices where you will find links to Skymedia and Overview Media. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gosford-City-Poppy-Photos-2015/1576570882598380
One such footage that gives you interactive control of the site is:
http://bravodrones.com.au/# (scroll down until your find the image of TerrigalSkillion/ANZAC Poppy display)
Other footage exists and could be found via searching the internet.
Thank you for loving our Central Coast commemorative exhibition created by our community during our 100 Years of Anzac Centenary – so very pleased you visited.
Kind Regards,
Merril Jackson
Creator of Poppy Project: Never Forgetting the Sacrifices
ADWC, ADLFAH, BHIP
P.S And yes, your hubby is probably right in saying he was ¾’s of the way up the Skillion of Terrigal!!