Western Australia will remember the ANZACs with Anzac Day ceremonies to be all over the state on Friday, April 25.
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There are always plenty of interesting stories to appear in the lead up to Anzac Day and we have collated some of the best from around regional WA.
Have a read below and also find out information about how WA residents plan to commemorate the ANZACs.
UNTIL recently, Margaret River man Tom Higgins was disappointed to have only one photograph taken of his father during his time fighting in France in 1916-17.
Margaret River's Edward "Ned" Higgins, known to be the son of town's first white settler, fought on the frontline in World War I.
His health suffered after being gassed twice, but he returned home in 1919 and lived until he was 63.
The WA police has released a video ahead of the Anzac Day long weekend discouraging drivers from using their phone while driving.
The posted the video to their Facebook page with the following message: "With double demerit points back in place for the ANZAC Day long weekend we saw an opportunity to once again subject you to some smooth elevator music.
"Drive safe this weekend and if at any stage you are tempted to use your mobile while driving, just relax, leave the phone alone and think of this music."
The Royal Australian Air Force’s WA base will perform a fly-past over Bunbury, Busselton, Donnybrook, Walpole, Albany and Mount Barker to honour Anzac Day on April 25.
Members of the flying training school from RAAF Base Pearce will perform the fly-past with the PC-9/A, which is a two-seat single engine turboprop aircraft.
Find out when the fly overs will occur here.
ESPERANCE resident Brett Elson is set to travel to Gallipoli next year after successfully being drawn from a randomly-selected ballot.
A military history enthusiast, Mr Elson said he was thrilled to be selected to take part in the 2015 Gallipoli centenary commerations in Turkey.
The AFL isn't the only competition to hold Anzac Day matches with the Peel Football League also set to host a 'blockbuster' match tomorrow.
Mandurah and South Mandurah have the chance to record their first win of the season when they clash on Anzac Day at Bendigo Bank Stadium.
The two teams have started the season poorly and are the only winless teams in the PFL so far
Read more about the clash here.
The Central Midlands and Coastal Advocate has a rundown of what is happening in Moora and the surrounding areas on Anzac Day.
To see what is going on click here.
When Margaret Smith decided to clean out some cupboards at her Gelorup home, she did not expect to find a World War I poem among her uncle’s belongings.
Serving in both World War I and World War II, Salathiel Joseph Kent brought home various items from the wars.
A poem by an unknown author titled Welcome, Digger! Welcome! was one of these artefacts Mrs Smith found, evidently making its way into Mr Kent’s possession after he served in France.
The people of Margaret River can celebrate Anzac Day with a visit to see the town's new Roll of Honour.
The original artefact, crafted in 1919, went missing a few years ago. The roll displayed the names of locals enlisted in World War I. It also included munition workers.
Fortunately, with help from Veteran Affairs and JahRoc Galleries, a replica has been handmade and is ready for display at Margaret River's Old Settlement site.
Click here for more details.
Anzac Day has always been a special occasion for Merredin-Wheatbelt Mercury Managing Editor Mal Gill.
For him it brings memories flooding back of people and places, including his grandfather and father who both served, and the trepidation of the conscription ballot after his 20th birthday.
Thousands of people from across Greater Bunbury will converge on the city on Anzac Day to join services held in memory of defence personnel who lost their lives, were injured or served in war across the world.
Bunbury RSL president John Gelmi said there was a fantastic turnout of more than 2000 people at last year’s dawn service and parade, which had been steadily building over recent years.
To find out what services and events are going on in your region on Anzac Day in the Greater Bunbury area click here.
Thousands of people are expected to gather at Anzac Day commemorations across the Peel region on Friday.
Click here for full details of what's happening in the region.
The Department of Agriculture and Food is requesting rural Western Australians who plan to commemorate the Anzac centenary this year by planting red poppies to do so with care.
Grains biosecurity officer Jeff Russell said it was important to note that the plant is a pest of crops and pastures and has the potential to impact on crop yields.
Year seven students at Bunbury Primary School commemorated Anzac Day with a service at the school earlier in the month.
The service featured the traditional playing of last post and reveille and the laying of a number of floral tributes. The students also wrote a number of poems detailing the tragedies the ANZAC’s faced and their courage in defending our country.
You can read some of their poems here.
Busselton's Anzac Day march will be taking on a slightly different tone this year with the local RSL calling on young veterans to lead the parade.
This Friday there will be a focus on post Vietnam War soldiers and Busselton RSL member and shire vice-president Grant Henley said it was a great way for people to remember that Australia had been involved in significant wars since Vietnam.
Click here for the full story as well as details on what is happening in Busselton and Dunsborough on Anzac Day.
People in the Shire of Donnybrook-Bridgetown will honour Anzac Day with a number of services around the district on Friday.
Click here for full details of what is happening, and where.
The Mandurah Community Museum has a special Anzac Day exhibit on display during the school holidays.
War related material from the Bore War up to the 1990s including uniforms, weapons and information is included in the special display.
Read more about it here.
Greenbushes Primary School students held an early Anzac Day commemoration service on Friday April 11 at the end of Term 1.
The students prepared readings and music and developed an order of service for the commemoration of Anzac Day, which was attended by members of the Greenbushes and Bridgetown branches of the Returned Services League and other community representatives.
Twenty-three original World War I letters and memorabilia from two Bunbury brothers have been transcribed by volunteers at the City of Bunbury Local Studies and History Collection office.
The letters, written by Norman Leonard and Victor Bird to their brother Horden Teede in Bunbury, document aspects of their service in the Middle East and in France and Belgium.
Find out more details about the letters and their transcription here.
Former MLA Graham Edwards visited Avonvale Primary School on April 3 for an Anzac service after receiving letters from Mr Gould's year seven 7 class.
Mr Edwards thanked the class for inviting him and told the service he enjoyed the ceremony.
Students made wreaths to place before the Australian flag and learned about the history of the first Anzacs.
Read more here.
VIDEO: Check out footage of the 2013 Anzac Day Dawn Service in Gallipoli below, courtesy of the Royal Australian Air Force's Youtube channel.
- Information taken from www.army.gov.au
Anzac Day is one of Australia’s most important national commemorative occasions.
It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
Anzac Day falls on the 25th of April each year. The 25th of April was officially named Anzac Day in 1916.
Why is this day special to Australians?
On the morning of 25 April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies.
The objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and an ally of Germany.
The Anzacs landed on Gallipoli and met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. Their plan to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months.
At the end of 1915, the allied forces were evacuated. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships.
More than 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli and the events that followed had a profound impact on Australians at home. The 25th of April soon became the day on which Australians remember the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.
The Anzacs were courageous and although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy.
What does Anzac Day mean today?
With the coming of the Second World War, Anzac Day also serves to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in that war. The meaning of Anzac Day today includes the remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations.
The Ode is traditional recited on ANZAC Day is the Ode and comes from For the Fallen, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon.
It was first published in London in the Winnowing Fan; Poems of the Great War in 1914 and the below verse, which became the League Ode, was used in association with commemoration services in Australia from 1921.
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
