OVER 400 people were waiting to greet the Anzac march at Memorial Park in Bridgetown on Friday, April 25.
As the march neared the memorial, the spectators broke into spontaneous applause for the members of the parade.
Ex-service members were joined in the march by members of St John Ambulance, Fire and Rescue services, Police, Red Cross, Scouts, local schools and others, many of whom were proudly wearing medals from parents and grandparents.
RSL President Terry Linz welcomed everyone attending the 99th anniversary of the landings at Anzac Cove, then acknowledged the past and present traditional owners of the land.
“It is a privilege to be standing on Noongar country,” he said. “I also acknowledge the contribution of Aboriginal Australians in a time of war or conflict.”
“Commemorating Anzac day allows Australians to honour the service of Australian Veterans, remember the sacrifice of the fallen, thank those who have returned and renew our bonds of community and our understanding of the Anzac tradition of courage and comradeship,” Mr Linz said.
The Jubilee Singers led the singing and RSL Padre Phillip Anderson led the assembly in prayers.
Sophie Wheeler presented a poem about her Great Great Uncle Harold, who served in the 10th Light Horse Regiment in the first world war.
“Harold had to take ‘Barney’ his own horse with him when he went to Gallipoli, but when returning to Australia, was not allowed to bring his horse back,” Ms Wheeler said.
RSL Vice President Peter Lamb spoke of the feats and actions in what was really Australia’s first war.
“On this day, in the darkness before dawn, the Anzacs stormed ashore in a place now known as Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. It was Australia’s first major contribution to the world as a nation,” he said.
“Today marks the 99th anniversary of that landing. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, or The Great War, as it was originally known, and also marks the 75th anniversary of the start of the Second World War.”
He spoke of the privation which the Australian and New Zealand troops suffered, of the massive loss of lives of those who went to war and of the families left behind, struggling to survive.
“Along with the young New Zealanders, the Australians were seen to have carried out their duty under the most difficult and trying conditions for over four long years. Each had proved their courage under fire,” Mr Lamb said.
“Their spirit had not been broken. Their mateship and good humour enabled them to endure the pain, the discomfort and the fear with courage, resilience and determination. Thus the legend of the ANZACs was born,” he said.
Sinéad Jameson, a student who was selected to travel to Borneo in 2013 with the Premier’s ANZAC Student tour, said she had met some incredible people, saw amazing sights, experienced things many people will never get the opportunity to experience, and learned about a tragic part in our national history in a unique and unforgettable way.
“We performed our own private ANZAC commemoration ceremonies and we walked through thick tropical jungle in the footsteps of Australian prisoners of War. What I treasure most is in depth knowledge and personal experiences surrounding a dark, and largely unknown chapter in Australian history, with a larger death and sickness percentile than Gallipoli and other similar tragedies,” she said.
“I saw for the very first time in person, a war cemetery. Row after row of identical graves, each on marking the burial place of a man or woman who gave their life for their country when they enlisted.
“In that cemetery lies a Bridgetown man, Kenneth Brooks Burley, a Sapper with the 2/6th Field Park Company, Royal Australian Engineers. Ken Burley lies in an unknown grave. I placed a poppy next to his name on the 6th panel on the honour roll at the cemetery, and an Australian flag next to the grave of an Australian soldier known unto God, commemorating his service and the service of others in Malaysia.
“One year ago today, I stood on a hill overlooking the Borneo jungle at sunrise. As the sun gave light to that stunning part of the world, we stood on a path where Australian soldiers had been forced to walk, ridden with disease and debilitated by malnutrition and thirst, led at gunpoint by their captors over 60 years ago,” Ms Jameson said.
The Bridgetown and the Greenbushes RSL, many organizations and groups, as well as private citizens laid wreaths on the base of the War Memorial.
Representing the New Zealand forces, Lewis Whiting read the ode in the Maori tongue, followed by Peter Lamb reading it in English.
All heads were bowed when Tim Streeter played the Last Post, followed after a minutes silence by the Rouse.