[Maddison Dwyer]

The SDC Newsletter Dawn Service: What ANZAC Day Means To You​

Good morning members,

I just wanted to dedicate a space on our forum for some of us to share what ANZAC Day means to them. There is absolutely no pressure for any one to participate, but if you choose to, the SDC Team along with the rest of the community would love to read what you have to say.

This thread today is for you all to share what ANZAC Day means to you or take the opportunity to commemorate someone or something important to you on this day with the rest of our community.

For me, ANZAC Day is a very special day. I had multiple family members involved in many different wars, and every morning, since I can remember, I have attended a Dawn Service with my grandparents, parents, and now, I take myself and my partner. My dear brother wears our family's Medallions with pride to every Dawn Service we attend. There's one Dawn Service that has stuck with me more than any I have ever attended, and that was the 2020 Dawn Service, when we were all in lockdown. The suburb I lived in at the time had organised for everyone to stand at the top of their driveways with a candle in hand at Dawn. We stood in silence for 10 minutes, then out of no where we heard the Last Post being played by someone on the trumpet. It was truly unbelievable. Like someone was walking the streets playing it for all to hear. I just thought in that moment how beautiful it was for everyone to come together at a time when there was such distance, to commemorate the Australian Men and Women who suffered and lost their lives so that we could live in the country we do today.

Thank you for reading my little story. I also just want to dedicate this post to my Pop (who I actually used to call 'Poppy'!) and his father. Both of which served this country.

Please feel free to share your stories in the comments below, and just a reminder that this community is a SAFE SPACE so please BE KIND. Today is not an easy day for everyone, so please keep those people who might be struggling today (and every day) front of mind when you comment below.

Lest We Forget.

​

 

[Suzanne rose]

Today I remember so much .
25th of April was my grandmother's birthday and every year I would wake up with her watching the dawn service and that's where we would be until around 11am.
She would share what it was like in Sydney during the 2nd world war .

It was also a time to give thanks to all those courageous men and women who fought for our country and for us .
My Great Granfather fought in world war 1 and my 2nd cousin fought and lost his life in the Vietnam war.

William matthew Brannigan


This is also a time that we remember a man who was a stand in grandfather for our children and a dear friend for over 40 years .
He fought in the Korean war and Vietnam

REEVES, John Lloyd Chief Petty Officer R.A.N.​

Today for me is a day to give thanks but also a day of sadness remembering these amazing people.

Two of my sons 20 year old and 23 year old are at our local dawn service now. It's so important for our children to keep remembering and honouring them

They are gone but will never be forgotten.

 

[VickieCheryl]

I went to our local dawn service with my husband daughter and son in law it was fantastic. The Nz and Australian national anthems were sung . There were so many people. It was amazing. Our mayor attended the local mps, the police. Firies ambos. The army padre. It really was the best one I’d been to there were 18 schools there as well I was able to remember my grandfathers my dad and see my son in law in his uniform as he is currently serving . One of my grandpas was an Anzac. I had three great uncles grandpas brothers all rats of tobruk thankfully all came home

 

[Aussie all the Way]

Have just returned from our local Anzac Service, was a little disappointed at the turnout. I'm married to a Returned Serviceman, I go to remember my Dad, and also thankful of my Husbands safe return, well almost, he has some terrible nightmares sometimes and wakes crying very hard for some people to reconcile what they have been through.

 

[LeonieBird]

My Grandfather Colin Cameron, enlisted in WW1 in 1916, he put his age up to 18 to join. He arrived in Egypt January 1917, joined the 4th Light Horse regiment and was involved in the Charge of Beersheba. In 1918 he was wounded in action, suffered a gunshot wound to his back and that bullet remained in his back till the day he died. In 1940 he enlisted in WW2, aged 40, this time putting his age down to 38 to join up !. In 1942 he was taken as a prisoner of war in Singapore and spent the rest of the war on the Burma-thai railway scheme. He was awarded an M.I.D (mention in dispatches) for service to POW’s. He died on Anzac Day 1968.
My father Leonard Keynes joined the Army 1957, aged 17. He served in Singapore/Malaya/Borneo between 1962-1965. He also served in the Vietnam War 1967-1968.

My brother & sister-in-law served in Afghanistan; my cousin served in Iraq. My mother joined the army in 1958, but once she became engaged to my father had to take discharge- thank goodness those times have changed. My other brother works for Open Arms counselling, which supports defence personnel and families.
A strong military background for our family, hence why Anzac Day is special.

The photo I have below and attached is of my mother Ann and myself laying a wreath at Kranji War Memorial in Singapore for my Grandfathers battalion on Anzac Day in 1965
.

 

[VickieCheryl]

You will be happy to know that the cadet unit at their old parade grounds acknowledge the battle of Beersheba every year the unit is in parramatta nsw

 

[Bevin30]

The SDC Newsletter Dawn Service: What ANZAC Day Means To You​

Good morning members,

I just wanted to dedicate a space on our forum for some of us to share what ANZAC Day means to them. There is absolutely no pressure for any one to participate, but if you choose to, the SDC Team along with the rest of the community would love to read what you have to say.

This thread today is for you all to share what ANZAC Day means to you or take the opportunity to commemorate someone or something important to you on this day with the rest of our community.

For me, ANZAC Day is a very special day. I had multiple family members involved in many different wars, and every morning, since I can remember, I have attended a Dawn Service with my grandparents, parents, and now, I take myself and my partner. My dear brother wears our family's Medallions with pride to every Dawn Service we attend. There's one Dawn Service that has stuck with me more than any I have ever attended, and that was the 2020 Dawn Service, when we were all in lockdown. The suburb I lived in at the time had organised for everyone to stand at the top of their driveways with a candle in hand at Dawn. We stood in silence for 10 minutes, then out of no where we heard the Last Post being played by someone on the trumpet. It was truly unbelievable. Like someone was walking the streets playing it for all to hear. I just thought in that moment how beautiful it was for everyone to come together at a time when there was such distance, to commemorate the Australian Men and Women who suffered and lost their lives so that we could live in the country we do today.

Thank you for reading my little story. I also just want to dedicate this post to my Pop (who I actually used to call 'Poppy'!) and his father. Both of which served this country.

Please feel free to share your stories in the comments below, and just a reminder that this community is a SAFE SPACE so please BE KIND. Today is not an easy day for everyone, so please keep those people who might be struggling today (and every day) front of mind when you comment below.

Lest We Forget.

View attachment 17724​

You will be happy to know that the cadet unit at their old parade grounds acknowledge the battle of Beersheba every year the unit is in parramatta nsw

I had 3 older brothers, one in each of the services during WWII. The middle one, aged 20, was a Pilot of a Mosquito brought down over Holland when returning from a mission over Germany, he was killed and the Germans gave permission for him to be buried in the local cemetery of Loppersum ( nearest city Groningen). 24 th February 1944.Those lovely people of Loppersum look after his grave as if he was one of their own. His birthday was 4th May which is also Holland’s Remembrance Day and every year flowers are laid on his grave. His family will always love and thank the kindness of the Dutch people. Incidentally, his Canadian Observer survived after spending the rest of the war in Stagaluft3 where he arrived just a fortnight after The Great Escape.

 

[VicRaws]

My darling Dad fought for our freedom
in WW2 he served on the Kokoda Trail
in Papu New Guinea and I am enternally grateful to each and every
serviceman who signed up to fight
to secure our freedom We will always remember them both past and present.
I also had two great uncles who gave
there lives in WW1 and never returned
home they still lay somewhere in France having never been found.
We will remember them Lest We Forget

 

[TrixieLovesTigers]

 

[Jarred Santos]

Absolutely love these, and thank you for your responses, everyone. We will remember them Lest We Forget!

 

[MaggieAmalia]

Years ago when living in Albany i attended my first Anzac Day community gathering.. it was Albany West Aust where the Anzacs ships departed from Australia. There were thousands of hand made red poppies on wires planted on the beach of Middleton .... the gathering were engaging in quiet conversation as was i with my sister. Suddenly there was a extreme drop in temperature and it became very chilly... then i felt such extreme distress overwhelm me... it intensified and then i heard weeping and saw hundreds of spirits of Anzac soldiers walking amongst the gathered people standing on the beach. All present were there honouring the memory of the huge sacrifices of the Anzacs. The Anzacs walking unseen amongst us were in such dispair over the loss of their lives and were in grief that they never returned home and devistated that their mothers and families mourned then so deeply and they walked amongst us and they were there on the beach weeping at the uselessness of it so,. So many young lives lost and those in the beach never heard. .. but the Anzacs saw hoew much they were honoured and respected and mourned for their huge sacrifice ....
Then we left the gathering and i went to my home and placed a white candle burning for these brave souls, which is what i have also done since yesterday and will continue to do until tomorrow. Honouring them with prayer and a safely positioned burning white t light candle helps heal them and for them and releases any of those who were still trapped as they may not even have understood that they had died ..
Their families and descendants are so right in honouring them all for their great sacrifices and in keeping that love alive for the legacy they left us all.... those family members too are to be respected and honoured as they sacrificed too by their children going to a war they felt they had to attend in order to protect our beautiful land. I an grateful to them and may they indeed Rest In Peace.

 

[aquarius123]

 

[Heather M]

My Grandpa was in WW1 and was commanded, along with the rest of his troops, to go into a dugout. He felt very uneasy about this, and disobeyed the command. Shortly afterwards, the dugout was bombed. My Grandpa was the only one of his troops that wasn't killed.
I am so grateful that he was spared, but my heart goes out to the many other men who were killed that day. They were all young men, serving our country so that we could have freedom. I am so thankful to those who served, so that we could live. May they never be forgotten.
Here is a very moving tribute to the fallen ANZACs.

 

[leslie_may]

The SDC Newsletter Dawn Service: What ANZAC Day Means To You​

Good morning members,

I just wanted to dedicate a space on our forum for some of us to share what ANZAC Day means to them. There is absolutely no pressure for any one to participate, but if you choose to, the SDC Team along with the rest of the community would love to read what you have to say.

This thread today is for you all to share what ANZAC Day means to you or take the opportunity to commemorate someone or something important to you on this day with the rest of our community.

For me, ANZAC Day is a very special day. I had multiple family members involved in many different wars, and every morning, since I can remember, I have attended a Dawn Service with my grandparents, parents, and now, I take myself and my partner. My dear brother wears our family's Medallions with pride to every Dawn Service we attend. There's one Dawn Service that has stuck with me more than any I have ever attended, and that was the 2020 Dawn Service, when we were all in lockdown. The suburb I lived in at the time had organised for everyone to stand at the top of their driveways with a candle in hand at Dawn. We stood in silence for 10 minutes, then out of no where we heard the Last Post being played by someone on the trumpet. It was truly unbelievable. Like someone was walking the streets playing it for all to hear. I just thought in that moment how beautiful it was for everyone to come together at a time when there was such distance, to commemorate the Australian Men and Women who suffered and lost their lives so that we could live in the country we do today.

Thank you for reading my little story. I also just want to dedicate this post to my Pop (who I actually used to call 'Poppy'!) and his father. Both of which served this country.

Please feel free to share your stories in the comments below, and just a reminder that this community is a SAFE SPACE so please BE KIND. Today is not an easy day for everyone, so please keep those people who might be struggling today (and every day) front of mind when you comment below.

Lest We Forget.

View attachment 17724​

Here in Tuross Head NSW, ANZAC Day begins with the Dawn service on the Plantation Point headland, looking out to sea. We arrived at 5 am, our group lead the singing. This morning there were thousands of people in the dark, we are only a village, so many people came from surrounding towns, and I saw many children in the croud. A smaller number turn up again for the 11am march and service at the Club Tuross, Now to catch up on sleep.

 

[Ladyjay]

Thanks to All for your service in All Wars
May you REST IN PEACE
Lest we Forget

 

[Penny4]

My late father in law jumped out of planes in the Korean War.

 

[DrChip]

I attend every dawn service as too was in the military as a Gun Sargent 107 battery. But one of the main reason I and my wife attend is also because her Uncle Artu (Arthur) escaped from Poland when he was just 18, just before the German's invaded. He join Montgomery in Palestine and ended up in Turook with the Kiwis and Aussies. He was young and afraid but through all the noise and dust the thing that kept him going was the comradery and sh*t stirring between the Aussie and Kiwis. He came every year here to Bunbury to attendant the Dawn service with us.. great memories of a great man

 

[TD]

Today is Anzac Day.
We honour everyone who serves in the Australian Defence Forces.
In particular we honour ARTHUR JACK DRIVER (father, father in law, grandfather & great grandfather)who served in the Australian Army in WWII. He was based at Morotai, Borneo in 1945.
The March touched all our hearts. We finished off the at the Combined Services Club, Sydney., with 35 family members

 

[MarieL]

The SDC Newsletter Dawn Service: What ANZAC Day Means To You​

Good morning members,

I just wanted to dedicate a space on our forum for some of us to share what ANZAC Day means to them. There is absolutely no pressure for any one to participate, but if you choose to, the SDC Team along with the rest of the community would love to read what you have to say.

This thread today is for you all to share what ANZAC Day means to you or take the opportunity to commemorate someone or something important to you on this day with the rest of our community.

For me, ANZAC Day is a very special day. I had multiple family members involved in many different wars, and every morning, since I can remember, I have attended a Dawn Service with my grandparents, parents, and now, I take myself and my partner. My dear brother wears our family's Medallions with pride to every Dawn Service we attend. There's one Dawn Service that has stuck with me more than any I have ever attended, and that was the 2020 Dawn Service, when we were all in lockdown. The suburb I lived in at the time had organised for everyone to stand at the top of their driveways with a candle in hand at Dawn. We stood in silence for 10 minutes, then out of no where we heard the Last Post being played by someone on the trumpet. It was truly unbelievable. Like someone was walking the streets playing it for all to hear. I just thought in that moment how beautiful it was for everyone to come together at a time when there was such distance, to commemorate the Australian Men and Women who suffered and lost their lives so that we could live in the country we do today.

Thank you for reading my little story. I also just want to dedicate this post to my Pop (who I actually used to call 'Poppy'!) and his father. Both of which served this country.

Please feel free to share your stories in the comments below, and just a reminder that this community is a SAFE SPACE so please BE KIND. Today is not an easy day for everyone, so please keep those people who might be struggling today (and every day) front of mind when you comment below.

Lest We Forget.

View attachment 17724​

All my family were fighting in ww2 from my grandmother down. My grandmother was in Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC, previously known as the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) the women's branch of the British Army during WW2. She was stationed on the British Anti-Aircraft guns in and around London Feeding the shells to the gunners during the Blitz. All her sons also fought. My Dad & his brother in the REME . His other brothers in the airforce, Navy & merchant Navy. 5 sons one killed in the RAF. My Belgian Uncle, Fràncois was a resistant fighter a 17yr old teenager. Betrayed, Caught & tortured by the Gestapo - then sent to Belsen ,dying of typhoid, at the end of the war after a forced march to Leipzig, Germany as a political prisoner.
My Mum & sister, both children, were taken to a concentration camp in Brussels, St Gilles, in retaliation. My Granmere fled with her 2 babies & the resistance hid her. My Dad was among the Normandy landings troops. Later he met my Mum in Brussels when it was liberated & she was released from the Gestapos St Gilles prison. Ironically my Dad's REME regiment were the 2nd British troops who'd entered Belsen. Dad's regiment were sent there, as they had the fuel needed to burn the bodies and barracks/ sheds that had typhoid. Dad said he smelled Belsen 2 miles before they'd reached it. He said nothing had prepared them for the inhumane sight of walking skeletons. I often think how awful it must have been for Dad having seen Belsen, then realise years later his brother-in-law had been in there .
1st pic my Grandmother 2nd my resistance fighter Uncle, 3rd pic my Dad in his British REME uniform & my Mum

 

[MarieL]

All my family were fighting in ww2 from my grandmother down. My grandmother was in Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC, previously known as the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) the women's branch of the British Army during WW2. She was stationed on the British Anti-Aircraft guns in and around London Feeding the shells to the gunners during the Blitz. All her sons also fought. My Dad & his brother in the REME . His other brothers in the airforce, Navy & merchant Navy. 5 sons one killed in the RAF. My Belgian Uncle, Fràncois was a resistant fighter a 17yr old teenager. Betrayed, Caught & tortured by the Gestapo - then sent to Belsen ,dying of typhoid, at the end of the war after a forced march to Leipzig, Germany as a political prisoner.
My Mum & sister, both children, were taken to a concentration camp in Brussels, St Gilles, in retaliation. My Granmere fled with her 2 babies & the resistance hid her. My Dad was among the Normandy landings troops. Later he met my Mum in Brussels when it was liberated & she was released from the Gestapos St Gilles prison. Ironically my Dad's REME regiment were the 2nd British troops who'd entered Belsen. Dad's regiment were sent there, as they had the fuel needed to burn the bodies and barracks/ sheds that had typhoid. Dad said he smelled Belsen 2 miles before they'd reached it. He said nothing had prepared them for the inhumane sight of walking skeletons. I often think how awful it must have been for Dad having seen Belsen, then realise years later his brother-in-law had been in there .
1st pic my Grandmother 2nd my resistance fighter Uncle, 3rd pic my Dad in his British REME uniform & my Mum

That's a beautiful poignant story Maddie thank you for sharing its heartbreaking at the enormous loss, the cost of lives lost. War is horror. I was taught to stand up to what is right.