Moss Vale photographer reflects on this year's Remembrance Day

Moss Vale photographer Richard Batterley reflects on the photos he took at Moss Vale RSL Sub Branch's Remembrance Day service at the Moss Vale Services Club on Tuesday.

By Antony Dubber

Veterans and members of the public gathered at the War Memorial outside Moss Vale Services Club on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Richard Batterley)

My thinking on Remembrance Day behind the camera

by Richard Batterley, photographer (Gallery images also by Richard Batterley)

I thought I’d tell you something about why I took those photographs, my thinking and motivation.

I’m often asked about why I took a particular shot, and this is an attempt to try and explain why I captured a story of an event.

Events such as Remembrance Day are very emotional and are about people and their emotions, not just men with jobs saying words.

So, in these photographs I’ve tried to capture the feeling of what is a community event, not a military parade.

Moss Vale is a small community, and it is amazing to see how many aspects of the community get represented, officially and informally, at events such as the Remembrance Day Service.

So, in taking the photographs I tried to reflect the many aspects of the community – the returned service men and women, people whose ancestors served, representatives of community organisations such as the Country Women’s Association, other services, schools, the local council and probably most important, families.

Look at the different ranks – a police inspector, an RAAF Squadron Leader, a Fire and Rescue Sargeant.

Three generations of one family.

Two student groups from local schools.

I tried to put them all together in one visual story showing the community remembering and paying respect to all those who have given service in wars, conflicts and peace keeping missions.

On the First World War honour board in the Sub Branch museum, there are around 350 names of men from the Moss Vale area who served in the armed forces, when the population of Moss Vale was only around 1,500.

Some of them didn’t come home.

So, I hope these photographs reflect the respect the community has for those who served.

I’m lucky I can capture that with my camera and hope to share those thoughts with everyone.

It’s not the camera that’s important, it’s the 30 centimetres behind it that is, the person and their heart and mind.

A bit philosophical? Yeah, probably. But that’s me.