ANZAC Day is fast approaching next Monday, April 25 and there are several ceremonies and marches across the valley for locals to attend.
The Yass dawn service is at 6am at the Yass Soldiers’ Memorial Hall followed by Gunfire Breakfast at the Soldier’s Club. The march begins at 10:45am from the corner of Comur Street and Lead Street followed by the main service at 11am at Yass Soldiers’ Memorial Hall.
Murrumbateman’s ANZAC Day service will be hosted by the Murrumbateman’s Lions Club again this year at Jones Park from 9:30am. The service will be followed by morning tea at the Murrumbateman Country Inn and the usual Two-Up event will be held at the pub from 12pm.
The Yass RSL also supports the Gunning ANZAC Day services with a dawn service at 5:45am at the Gunning Showground followed by Gunfire Breakfast. The march begins at 10:40am on Yass Street with a main service at 11am at the Cenotaph outside the Post Office.
Bowning’s ANZAC Day dawn service, which is also supported by the Yass RSL, will be held at the Bowning Memorial on Short Street from 6am.
Other service times are:
- Gundaroo War Memorial 5:30am
- Sutton Memorial Gates 5:45am
- Wee Jasper Brigade 9:45am
- Binalong Memorial Garden 10:15am
Yass RSL President Steve Neuhaus said after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, everybody is looking forward to having a march through town again.
“We’ve had schools ringing up wanting to participate and that sort of thing,” he said. “I do believe that everybody’s keen for the march to be kicking off and there’s a lot of different people coming in from different places to be part of it.”
“It should be a good day and it’s always a great time for the community to get out and to reflect on the sacrifices that servicemen and women make for our way of life.”
This year we commemorate 75 years of Australian Peacekeeping, including Somalia 1992-1995 (30th Anniversary) and the end of the Vietnam War in 1972 (Australia’s commitment 1963- 1972).
Alongside the contribution of our Indigenous Service personnel since January 1900 when Jack Alick from Braidwood, sailed to South Africa to fight in the Boer War. Jack was one of many who served before Federation and one of the thousands who have served post-Federation.
This ANZAC Day we also remember all the veterans who have served in the many campaigns throughout the decades.
The Sudan War, Boer War, the Great War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Bougainville, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Including in more modern times OP Resolute, OP Bushfire Assist, OP Covid Assist, OP Aged Care Assist, and most recently OP Flood Assist.
Steve said Yass RSL has veterans from many of the more recent campaigns represented.
“We are looking forward to having the march again and the community being able to join the veterans, honouring the sacrifice of the servicemen and women of this Nation.”
By Brianna O’Rourke
