By Gabriella Payne
On Thursday 11 November, red poppy pins could be spotted all throughout the Cardinia Shire as people far and wide showed their support for Remembrance Day – and one local RSL club sold so many that they hit a new record!
The iconic red poppy, worn each year as a tribute to all our fallen soldiers, was adopted as a symbol of remembrance 100 years ago, in 1921, as they were among the first to flower in the devastated battlefields of France and Belgium after the First World War.
Each year, local RSL clubs take to the streets to sell these famous floral pins, and the club in Lang Lang did extremely well this year!
Peter Hayden, the appeals officer for the Lang Lang RSL club, said that they had managed to “set a new record” for poppy sales this year – a remarkable achievement.
“We’ve sold over 3,700 poppies in this year’s appeal,” Mr Hayden said, “and still counting!”
“Last year we sold about 3,000 – so we’ve already beaten that record.”
Mr Hayden said that this year, they had noticed a “dramatic increase” in support from the 25 – 35 year old age category in particular, but overall it had been great to see so many people supporting the cause.
“We set up our sales boxes in the businesses in town early this year,” Mr Hayden said – a move made in case Covid restrictions impacted Remembrance Day services.
He said it had been great to see so many people stop by and buy a pin this year, and added that people passing through Lang Lang had also been big supporters of the cause – not just the locals.
On behalf of the club, Mr Hayden thanked everyone for their support and said that they couldn’t wait to sell even more for next year’s appeal.
