Federal Member for Berowra, Julian Leeser MP, joined the Indian community to honour the sacrifice and service of the brave men and women who have served and are currently serving in our Armed Forces around the world.

“Today, we bear witness to the sacrifices of servicemen of Indian origin who had joined Australian forces during the World Wars.

“We commemorate the 16,000 who fought with our troops at Gallipoli. Of those men 1,600 of them died at Gallipoli and up to 3,500 were wounded.

“Many of the Indian soldiers established themselves in an area known as Mule Gully, which came under constant sniper and machine gun fire during the day. They were the unsung heroes of Gallipoli.

“During the Gallipoli campaign, ANZACs wrote about their friends in the Indian forces. Many wrote about Indian soldier Karam Singh with great awe, telling of how he continued to issue orders to his troops, even after he had been hit by an artillery shell and blinded by it.

“The letters sent by ANZACs showed the highest regard for the courage and professionalism shown by the Indian troops. One ANZAC sent a photo with his Indian mate, which was published in the Sydney Mail in 1916 with the title “Best Chums”. The two Australian soldiers pictured in that photo, were killed soon after in action, but it is truly remarkable that they posed for a photo with an Indian soldier in the battlefields of Gallipoli, and sent it back home to introduce him to their families “as a mate”.

“The true friendship between Indians and Australians can be traced back to the fields of Gallipoli, and so today, we commemorate that friendship. We commemorate those who served. We commemorate those taken before their time. And we commemorate their sacrifice,” said Julian Leeser.