Wyndham librarian Elizabeth Arkles (below) is surrounded by some of the 1675 handmade poppies donated by Wyndham residents as part of Melbourne’s 5000 Poppies Project.
Started by two Melbourne women in honour of their fathers who served in World War 1, the project has involved people around the nation crafting poppies to be displayed in the heart of Melbourne on Anzac Day as a tribute to the millions of Australian servicemen and women who represented their country in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Wyndham’s libraries have held poppy-making workshops and been collection points for poppies since November last year.
As the centenary of Anzac commemorations begin, some 200,000 poppies are expected to be laid at Federation Square as part of the project.
Since the blooming of spring flowers on the 1915 battlefields of Belgium, France and Gallipoli, the Flanders, or remembrance, poppy has become synonymous with the great loss of life in war.
