In the earliest years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, long before effective treatment and widespread understanding, shame and stigma surrounded those affected. Families disowned loved ones. Governments were slow to act. The public turned away. 

In the face of this abandonment, LGBTQ+ communities and allies came together to grieve, remember and resist by lighting candles. 

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, established globally in 1983, soon found powerful local expression in Australia. First held in Sydney in 1985, candlelight vigils became an annual ritual of mourning and defiance. These gatherings gave people space to name and honour those who had died, often when obituaries could not, and served as a reminder that every person lost to an AIDS-related illness was loved and deserved to be remembered. 

Today, Candlelight Memorials remain a moving and important tradition. Each year, ACON and Positive Life NSW co-host Sydney’s memorial, bringing together people living with HIV, loved ones of those lost, health workers, activists, artists, and community members to reflect and pay tribute. The vigils feature speeches, performances, and moments of silence. The reading of names for those we have lost, alongside the soft glow of candles, is a symbol of both grief and hope. 

While medical advances – like antiretroviral treatment and PrEP – have altered the course of the epidemic in NSW, remembrance remains a vital part of the HIV story. The trauma, courage and losses of the past continue to shape our communities today. 

These memorials are also an act of intergenerational connection. For those who lived through the height of the epidemic, they are a chance to remember friends, lovers and chosen family. For younger people, they are an opportunity to learn, honour and carry the legacy forward. 

As we work toward ending HIV transmission in NSW, we continue to gather in candlelight, in memory and in community. We remember those we lost. We honour those who fought. And we renew our commitment to justice, care and dignity for all people living with HIV. 

Learn more about ACON’s work at acon.org.au or candlelight.org.au.