A sombre but emotional crowd of over 1200 people paid tribute to more than just the Anzac spirit at the Yarloop war memorial this morning.
The gathering was testament to the strength of the people of the town which was devastated in January by a bushfire that raged across almost 70,000 hectares.
One hundred and eighty one properties were destroyed in the blaze and the town of Yarloop remains closed to the general public.
Yarloop’s war memorial was slightly damaged in the fire but remained intact, although the boundary fence was destroyed.
The Yarloop Volunteer Fire Brigade sought permission to restore the monument in order to host the ceremony.
Stephen Cook of the brigade delivered the welcome address and a poignant acknowledgement of those who lost their lives in the fire.
Senator Glen Sterle delivered the keynote address.
The crowd heard poems and readings from Georgina Williams of St. Jospeh’s Primary School in Waroona, Trent Atherton and Crystal Cockman from Yarloop Primary, and Brylin Bonner and Rebecca Wood from Harvey Senior High.
The last post was delivered by Ken Topperwein.
