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A Nation Weeps

Conflict:
First World War (1914-18)
Service:
Women’s organisations
Install team for A Nation Weeps Shrine staff and members of the 5000 Poppies Project team who helped with the installation at the Shrine November 2019

A Nation Weeps has been on display in the Shrine’s Visitor Centre since November 2019 and is now going to call the Shrine home permanently. The creators, the 5000 Poppies Project, recently donated the work to the Shrine. The wall of vibrant poppies will be displayed each year in the lead up to Remembrance Day.

Woven with love, A Nation Weeps is remembrance in action. What began as a personal tribute by Lynn Berry and her sister-in-law, Margaret Knight, to their fathers who served in the Second World War has become a worldwide community art project. More than 50,000 people have hand made more than one million flowers to honour those who have served and sacrificed.

5,000 Poppies display at Fromelles, France Stemmed poppies surround the Cobbers statue to commemorate the centenary of Battle of Fromelles 2016 Fromelles, France
photographer Claire Takacs

A Nation Weeps is part of the 5000 Poppies Project. Originally launched in Federation Square for Remembrance Day 2013, it has since been on display at iconic sites across Australia and the world. The work is a powerful visual demonstration of the depth of love and respect held for those who have served and sacrificed.

In Lynn’s own words:

The story is a powerful one of coming together as a community with love, and we all feel truly privileged to have been a part of it and proud of what we have achieved. It has been said that there is strength in numbers and if the number of contributors to the 5000 Poppies Project over the last six years is any indication there is an incredible depth of gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our military, their families and their communities.

Lynn Berry

Made by many thousands of loving hands A nation Weeps has found its forever home here at the Shrine and it's very much at home.

Stemmed poppies on the Shrine mounds Mass display at the Shrine for Remembrance Day 11 November 2017 photographer Claire Takacs

A final installation of 20,000 stemmed poppies is planned here at the Shrine in 2020.

You can take your own piece of history home as the poppies from the 5000 Poppies Project have also been donated to the Shrine shop. Poppies are either $5 each or $3 for the stemmed poppies.

Author:

Naias Mingo is the Director Visitor Experience at the Shrine of Remembrance.

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