BELFAST RB BOOKLET 2020 - Flipbook - Page 12
Ci t y of Belf ast Grand Bl ack Chapt er - Dem onst rat i on Bookl et 2020
"A CHEEKY WEE RASCAL 'STEALS' MEMORIAL
POPPIES TO CAREFULLY CRAFT ITS OWN NEST"
LAST YEAR IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY, THE CURATOR OF
AUSTRALIA'S WAR MEMORIAL BUILDING IN CANBERRA, COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THAT
THE FLOWERS FROM THE ARTIFICIAL POPPY WREATHS, WHICH HAD BEEN REVERENTLY
PLACED AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, KEPT MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARING.
In order to identify and apprehend the cheeky thief, CCTV monitors were installed and
directed onto the monument; sure enough, the flying perpetrator was soon caught in the act and
the mystery behind the disappearing Poppies at one of Australia's most solemn places of
remembrance was soon solved with the discovery of a new tenant habiting the consecrated
premises. At the same time, it was carefully crafting its new living quarters high up in the
archway of one of the stained glass windows dotted around the Hall of Memory.
It turned out to be, not a fly-by-night squatter or even a winged invader, but none other
than a home-loving, nestling creature .. a brooding pigeon; a wee cool doo!!
However, rather than evict the new inhabitant, a spokesman for the War Memorial building
said that its new tenant will be a constant reminder of the immense bonds that were formed with
various animals, in combat during the many armed conflicts, down through the years ... "the
wounded soldier symbolises the defining
quality of endurance, and the nest of
Poppies nearby is a poignant reminder of
the powerful bond that exists between
man and beast on the battlefield."
As highlighted in a few of our publications
over the past few years, first with local bird,
Paddy the Pigeon, then GI Joe and last year
our piece about Cher Ami, these wee culvers
are particularly poignant as symbols of war and peace, with each having been awarded the
Dickin Medal for bravery in combat; the animals' equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
Because of the nest building antics in this latest story of the Poppy Pinching High
Flyer, it has now been revealed that another two Australian homing pigeons had in fact
also received the same award, for their brave actions in carrying messages aloft between
the Allied troops and their Field Commanders, during the Second World War.
Our side by side pictures, above right, show the wee rascal with a Poppy in its beak (left) and
settling in (right) amongst a nest of Poppies in the stained glass window frame.
Thankfully the authorities decided not to take any further action on the matter and the
wee beastie is now part of the building's fabric so to speak, and can hardly wait until the
next period of remembrance so it can build another family nest!!.
The antics of the flying Poppy Pigeon can be viewed at this link … https://7news.com.au/news/act/pigeonsteals-war-memorial-poppies-to-carefully-craft-its-nest-c-546969.amp?__twitter_impression=true
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; this is
the Victory that has overcometh the world, even our Faith"
1st E pistle of J ohn, C hapter 5: Ve r se 4 (KJ V )
IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN - 10 - AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING