Anzac Day spirit is stronger than ever as we prepare to come together this Friday, and print once more takes pride of place in paying tribute to our fallen heroes. CanPrint wins the honour of producing the annual Anzac Day memorial poster for the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), with a boosted run length of 83,400 for the 2014 commemorations.
The ACT-based division of OPUS Group tackled the project on the ten-colour Heidelberg XL105P it picked up in late 2012. CanPrint has handled work on the Anzac Day memorial poster for the past three years, with site operations manager Angus Murphy noting that the unit order has steadily grown each year.
- 2014 ANZAC memorial poster - Bullecourt Digger (fore) with members of the Australian Defence Force serving in Afghanistan (back)
“Of course it’s really great to be involved with the Anzac Day poster. There’s some increase in quantity too, which is very positive. We worked heavily with DVA in the lead-up. They had a couple of different artworks they were considering, and we worked with them to do sample prints, and some tests with folding, scoring and folding. We really put the extra effort in to make sure it was spot on,” Murphy tells Print21.
“It’s us recognising the DVA has got a very wide audience that is still very much in touch with print.”
This year’s commemorative poster marks the past while also looking closer to home. It honours the men and women of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) completing their service in Afghanistan, continuing the Anzac spirit and legacy in modern times.
It comprises two images. Foreground is the memorial of the Bullecourt Digger, which stands in the Australian Memorial Park in France. The monument commemorates the 10,000 soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force killed or wounded on the Hindenburg Line of the Western Front in April and May 1917.
The background image depicts members of the ADF taking part in an Anzac Day commemoration in Tarin Kot, Afghanistan. Accompanying the two evocative images are four words recognising the importance of commemoration – honouring, remembering, thanking and renewing.
As well as the memorial poster, which it completed in February, CanPrint has also taken on work on a special commemorative Gallipoli book for DVA. According to Murphy, this second-edition of the exclusive 168-page memento had a limited run of just 2000 and was a four-colour job, also on the XL105P. The commemorative tome is rounded off, however, with a luxuriant Stardream cover with metallics, varnish, folded flaps and a flush trim, making it a keepsake to treasure.
Copies of the 2014 ANZAC memorial poster are available on request from the Commemorations Officer in each state and territory. Telephone 133 254 or 1800 555 254 for regional callers.