featured image

11 November 2026

North Sydney has marked Remembrance Day, an annual day of commemoration, born out of the November 11 armistice and has grown to honour all members of the armed forces who have died or suffered in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. 

The largest ceremony in the area took place at the North Sydney War Memorial including formal wreath-laying, and the observance of a minute’s silence at 11:00 am. This year was particularly significant, marking the centenary of the North Sydney Cenotaph/War Memorial.

Erected in 1924 and dedicated in 1926, the memorial is is a memorial to those who served and died in various conflicts, including Sudan (1885), South Africa (1899–1902), China (1900–1901), Korea (1950–1953), Malaya (1948–1960), the Malay Peninsula (1964–1966), Sabah-Sarawak (1962–1966), and Vietnam (1962–1972).

The memorial bears the names of 568 service members, representing approximately 14 per cent of the estimated 4,000 local personnel who served over the years.

Local school Reddam House North Shore provided the anthems, hymn, and bugler for the occasion, supported by personnel from Waverton’s HMAS Waterhen and other community groups.

Running alongside the event, local resident Gary Molloy has been raising support for the Purple Poppy initiative. The initiative recognises the extraordinary loyalty and courage of animals that serve alongside the military in times of war and peace, as well as the service of search and rescue and law enforcement animals.

For Molloy, the initiative is a meaningful way to honour his family, Robert Francis Molloy, who fought in France as part of the 19th Australian Infantry Battalion during the First World War and is commemorated at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, France.

Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the 11 November 1918, when an armistice stopped on the Western Front silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The date has been observed across the Commonwealth since 1919.