Anzac Day 2008

Gosh, I can't believe it's been a week since my last blog post but we were away over Anzac Day but returned in time to pick up our overseas living daughter who is here in Oz for her girlfriend's wedding this w/e. So all in all it's been a rather busy time.
We spent Anzac Day with out eldest daughter & her family - something we have been doing for a couple of years now as the boys like to spend Anzac Day with Pa, plus march with him. This year was just a little more special as our eldest Grandson turned 16 and has just recently joined Army Cadets so was able to march in uniform. He was so proud to do that & man were we proud of him too...his mother & I shed a tear... thinking he is becoming a grown up already Here he is after the Dawn Service... In Mt Perry after the Dawn Service everyone is invited to visit the cemetery to lay Poppies on the graves of Returned Soldiers. There is a great network of folks in the town & one lady has researched the cemetery to find who & where all the Returned Soldiers are resting and then other folks come along & place small flags & tealight candles on each of the Returned Diggers graves & while the Dawn Service is being conducted the candles are light so when the Service is over & we go out there, the cemetery is light by the flicker of these little candles as the sun has still not popped over the hill ... it's quite eerie but so beautiful & moving ... After the laying of Poppies we all go back to the Council Park, in town for a BBQ breakfast. For such a small community & a very small RSL[ Returned Service League] they all do such a stirling job and is a credit to the community spirit. Here are the 'boys' after Breakfast on the way home for a nap before the march. We all go back up the street around 11.00 for the march where the school kids are dressed in school uniform and the few Diggers that live in the town & surrounding district come to march. After a small service wreaths are laid on the cenotaph & the local school children lay a little bunch of flowers each. After the service, lunch is served in the hall next door - the CWA ladies have been busy all morning making sandwiches etc so it's a good time for towns folks to catch-up. Here are the three boys after the midday service & march.