Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Wahroonga) (16:58): Today is the eightieth anniversary of the victory in Europe, ending that theatre of battle in the Second World War. On this day 80 years ago, my father was a 19‑year‑old, but not in Europe where he grew up and where he had been in the Dutch resistance. He had already joined the Royal Netherlands Marines and was in a marine camp in North Carolina, Camp Lejeune, where he was training with the Allied forces that were preparing to land on the beaches of Japan, if that was necessary. Thankfully, the war in Japan ended months later, and my father was not required to perform in what would have been a particularly bloody theatre of battle in Japan.

Given today's significance, it is perhaps appropriate that I reflect on the recent local Anzac Day services in the Wahroonga electorate. At dawn on Anzac Day I was privileged to attend the Hornsby RSL Sub‑Branch Anzac Day march and service, along with the member for Hornsby, the member for Berowra, the Mayor of Hornsby and other members of the local community. There was a terrific turnout that morning. We reflected on the important sacrifices that our Anzacs made, and honoured all soldiers, particularly those who did not return. The Hornsby service was emceed by Brigadier Neil Turner, AM, RFD (Rtd), who is the president of the Hornsby RSL Sub-Branch.

I then went to Wahroonga Park, where I attended an Anzac Day service run by the Sydney North Region Scouts. A number of local services in the Wahroonga electorate are conducted by our local Scout troupes, and a dawn service was conducted at Bicentennial Park in West Pymble at a similar time to the Hornsby RSL Sub‑Branch's dawn service. It was a very moving ceremony at Wahroonga, and I was delighted to see such a big turnout. At all the local Anzac Day services, this year's turnout was probably the biggest since the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day back in 2015. That is appropriate given the significant commemoration of 110 years.

We reflected on the lives of the men and women who left their homes and went to war, not knowing whether they would ever return. Those who served our country, putting their lives in great danger, were sons, brothers, fathers and husbands. Many of them did not return, and those who did return were impacted in body and in mind by what they had experienced. Many of them had lifelong psychological and physical injuries. That was certainly a reality in my father's family, with a brother who was a Japanese prisoner of war. I then went to Turramurra Memorial Park, where another Anzac Day service was conducted by our local Scouts—again, a huge turnout. The Turramurra Rotary Club provided a morning tea afterwards.

The longevity of Anzac Day is incredible and is a great sign of the remembrance in our community. I thank Allen Hyde, who has worked tirelessly with a number of community groups, including the Scouts and Rotary, to make those services happen in our local area. The Wahroonga electorate has a number of memorials in Wahroonga, Turramurra and Hornsby, and the services are conducted around those memorials. They were constructed many years ago, one of the reasons being because those who did not return often did not have a grave. The memorials were a place where their families could remember, reflect and lay flowers. A few days after Anzac Day, I attended the Barker College and West Pymble Public School Anzac services. I commend everyone who conducted our local Anzac Day services. We will remember them. Lest we forget.