Ben Apfelbaum

REMEMBRANCE DAY 2016 – THE CENOTAPH MARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY

The Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the Armistice. After World War 2 the Australian Government agreed to the United Kingdom’s proposal that Armistice Day be renamed Remembrance Day to commemorate those who were killed in both World Wars.Today the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts is commemorated on Remembrance Day and continues to be commemorated in Allied Countries.

The time honoured proceedings took place at the Cenotaph in Martin Place. Lt Colonel John Moore was the Master Of Ceremonies for the Order of Service.

After the Royal Australian Navy’s Band’s Vice Regal Salute, the 2016 Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholars Mr Nikita Papastamatis and Ms Amber Frost read ‘In Flanders Fields’, a poem by John McGrath, composed in 1915.

The Cenotaph is unique throughout Australia in that after the Last Post is sounded the GPO clock sounds 11 am whilst one minute’s silence is observed.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Australian Airforce Air Vice-Marshall Bob Treloar,NSW Centennary of Anzac Ambassador read the ‘Reflection’.

After recitations of the Ode and Prayer wreaths were placed on the Cenotaph by the dignitaries present and thereafter by members of the public.

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.