Featuring
Margaret Haggart
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington
Margaret is one of Australia's foremost sopranos.
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington is a multi-award-winning actor / singer.
Lee Abrahmsen
Matt Hetherington
Lee Abrahmsen
Recently described by critics as “Melbourne’s favourite soprano” and hailed as “a rising star” by Limelight Magazine .
become involved
Personal dedications
Commemorate with Poppies
Personal dedications
Submit a photo and brief biography of your service man or woman for inclusion in the commemorations/dedication section of the performance and also in The Silent Anzac Commemorative Program.
You may submit any person who has served in any conflict up to the present day.
Create a Poster
Commemorate with Poppies
Personal dedications
Create a poster about your service man or woman which will be exhibited in the foyer of the Hawthorn Town Hall. The poster can contain:
- photos
- biographical details
- copies of awards, citations, letters etc.
- a dedication (eg. "Dedicated to the memory of ........ by the .........family".
If your service man or woman is still living or currently serving you can still create a poster to honour their service.
Commemorate with Poppies
Commemorate with Poppies
Commemorate with Poppies
You may like to commemorate our fallen service men and women by creating your own poppy(s) for display at the Hawthorn Town Hall. Poppies may be knitted, crocheted or craft made. Click on the button below for patterns and examples.
(Photo: Poppies made by Victorian school children on display at the Australian Emabassy in Paris before travelling to the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux , Nov 2018.)
About "The Silent anzac"
Australian Submarine AE2
The Australian Submarine AE2 obtained the nickname "The Silent Anzac" as it was able to silently penetrate enemy defences, underwater.
In the early morning hours of 25 April 1915, the AE2 was the first allied vessel to breach the defences of the Dardanelle Straits and venture into the Sea of Marmara where its orders were to "run amok" in order to disrupt supplies and reinforcements from Constantinople to the Gallipoli peninsula - where the Anzacs were to land only a few hours later.
NZ composer Todd Smith has composed a major work called "The Silent Anzac" recounting the exploits of the AE2 which will be performed during the show.
The Silent Anzac Today
Today, the term, "The Silent Anzac" has come to refer to not only the AE2, but also to the many Australians who lie silently in graves in foreign lands or beneath the sea and also the many service men and women who returned, mentally and physically scarred, and who suffered in silence.
THe STARS of the show
Margaret Haggart
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington
Margaret is one of Australia's foremost sopranos and studied with Antonio Moretti-Pananti, gaining amateur performance experience with Victorian Opera Co., which became Victoria State Opera.
In 1972 her professional career began in UK, with Welsh National Opera, singing Queen of Night & Gilda (Rigoletto). Principal roles followed with ENO, Scottish Op., Opera North, English Music Theatre, R.Albert Hall Prom Concerts & BBC Radio & TV. She performed with Nancy Opera & the Orange Festival in France, and Santiago Opera in Chile.
Home in Melbourne from 1984, she appeared with VSO, all State Companies, Opera Australia, most major Festivals, most Symphony Orchestras, and ABC simulcasts locally, and worked in NZ, Italy, Singapore & USA.
In November 2018 Margaret toured France, Belgium and the UK performing in "The Silent Anzac".
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington is a multi-award-winning actor / singer. His extraordinary voice and vitality on stage has earned him exceptional reviews both from his live band appearances and his numerous award winning theatrical performances. Matt has won two Australian Green Room Awards and the prestigious Helpmann Award (Australia's Tony Award) as lead actor in a Musical in productions such as; The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Next to Normal and Hair. He was also a live finalist in season one of The Voice – Australia.
2022 has been a busy year. In March he performed a season of ‘The Who’s – Tommy’ at the Palais in St Kilda playing Captain Walker and then followed it up with a critically acclaimed reprisal of Dan Goodman in the Broadway hit ‘Next to Normal’. Whilst in the US, Matt guest starred in the critically acclaimed TV comedy ‘The Detour’ on the TBS network.
He is one of the most sought-after live acts in Australia, both as a feature solo artist and fronting his own band, The Matt Hetherington Band ‘MHB’. He spent many years regularly performing with various acts in and around New York City. Including the highly acclaimed live show ‘Shaken Not Stirred’ featuring the music of James Bond.
Matt has starred in over 15 major theatre productions in Australia such as: The Who’s Tommy, North by Northwest, Next to Normal, South Pacific, Hair, Rocky Horror, Flowerchildren (The Story of the Mamas and Papas), The Last 5 Years, Sweet Charity, Damn Yankees, Sugar.
Matt has played the principal role of ‘Eddie Starr’ in the Alliance Theatre (Atlanta) world premiere of the new Broadway bound musical ‘Becoming Nancy’ in late 2019.
In addition to his theatre credits Matt has guest starred in numerous TV programs such as; The Detour (US – TBS) City Homicide, The Dr. Blake Murder Mysteries, Stingers, Marshall Law and Sea Change.
Matt has also been featured singing at some of the biggest sporting events in Australia such as the AFL Grand Final (Australia's Super Bowl), the Cox Plate (Australia's Kentucky Derby), the 2012 National Rugby League State of Origin and the John Newcombe Medal for Tennis Australia.
Lee Abrahmsen
Matt Hetherington
Lee Abrahmsen
Lee has been described by critics as “Melbourne’s favourite soprano” and hailed as “a rising star” by Limelight Magazine (July 2018), Australian soprano Lee Abrahmsen is a multi-award winning soprano both on the operatic stage and concert platform.
Lee has appeared as principal artist throughout Australia in over 35 roles including: Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer, Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Freia in Das Rheingold, Leonora in Fidelio, CioCioSan in Madama Butterfly, Mimi in La Bohème, Konstanze in Die Entführung, Marguerite in Faust, Micaëla in Carmen, Elvira in I Puritani and Valencienne in The Merry Widow (all for Melbourne Opera); Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Australia), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Queensland), title role in Tosca (Australian Discovery Orchestra), Violetta in La Traviata (CoOpera), Anita in Jonny spielt auf! (IOpera), Fifth Maid in Elektra (Sydney Symphony), Clotilde in Norma (Victorian Opera), Olympia in Erwin und Elmire (Iopera), and the title role in the Australian Premier of Stella by Marshall-Hall (Lyric Opera of Melbourne).