"In the beginning"

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The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily the views of the blog management, (on the other hand, they are not necessarily not the views of the blog management).

No effort has been made to stay within the bounds of the truth in this blog as it has always been the view of the management that the truth should never be allowed to stand in the way of a good story.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

ANZAC Dawn Service 2007

Up at dawn, and it seems the whole town was there too.





The gates at both ends
of Memorial Lane were
laden with wreaths this
morning as we celebrate
ANZAC Day 2007








Memorial Lane has been developed over the
years as a tribute to Australian Servicemen
and Women.
It runs between Mary Street and parkland
to link some of Gympie's best features.





There are four large panels (with provision
for another four) with scenes depicting the
conflicts that Australia has been involved
in over the years.
These panels are 3 dimensional and have
been created with glazed pottery panels
and are a truly beautiful tribute.




Australia's reputation
for producing
soldiers of world class
has not come cheaply
as you will see if you
expand the plaque on
the left.





The dawn service at the cenotaph seemed to be fittingly shrouded in
mist this morning, giving it an eerie feeling that we could have been
about to land on the beach at Gallipoli as our brave troops did 92
years ago.



As has been the case over all those years there was a good turn-out
of people gathered to pay their respects to the fallen.
Wreaths were laid by the dignitaries then the public were invited to
lay red poppies at the memorial.




As can be seen many took advantage of this chance to pay
respects to a fallen relative or friend. (you may need to
expand these photos to see the detail)



The mist still shrouded the scene as the crowd started to disperse



In fact by this time the sun was well up in the sky but still partially
obscured by the mist, its not often you can take a photo of the
sun this high in a cloudless sky here in Australia.

14 comments:

Rachel said...

Hi Peter! I am just now reading this post and the one before about ANZAC Day! There is a lot of info here and I enjoyed reading about it. Thanks!!

kenju said...

Thanks for posting about it, Peter. I see you (AU) have paid a great price in wars too. I hope war can be eliminated soon.

My daughter is really enjoying her stay in Sydney! She says it is raining, but that you need it badly.

Jim said...

Hi Peter -- Those two posts taught me quite a bit more about Austalia.
This may be pretty much like an old fashioned Memorial Day in the U.S.
But things have pretty well changed it just another day now, although some will still visit graves of loved ones and relatives.
..

Margaret said...

Very nice post Peter, my emailing friend Edith as opposed to EDE has a friend who has a book out about war brides,the author was one herself but is now back in OZ. The book is called From Pavlova to Popcorn.
Cheers Margaret

Puss-in-Boots said...

Hi Peter

Terrific photos and, as you say, fitting for the occasion. We have a lot to be thankful for, don't we? Thank God for the ANZACS, past and present.

Merle said...

Hi Peter ~~ Another good post. What got you up at Dawn ?? Nice work and
the photos are good too. Glad you visited Nick as he went to a lot of trouble with his post. First thing I heard this morning was "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," sung by
John Williamson. Hadn't heard his version before, but it was good.
Take care, Merle.

Cliff said...

Nothing speaks about a society or country more than how they honor their dead. This post says a lot about you and yours. Salute!

Dave said...

Wow, beautiful pictures and words Holtie..

I'm sorry I'm not here as often as I should, but I'll try more now.

Joy Des Jardins said...

What a wonderful post Peter...really beautiful pictures. A very heartfelt tribute and memorial from your country...and from you.

Jeanette said...

Hi Peter, Great ANZAC posts, Nice photos of your early rise to go to the dawn service. I ventured out to our March was 10am !st time this week ive been out the door. Take care hope to catch up with you in July

TLP said...

I just learned about ANZAC recently.

*sigh* Australia is a place I would LOVE to see some day.

Anonymous said...

The pictures are fantastic. I really like the hazy one on the bottom.

Lee said...

Wonderful pictures, Peter...they really capture the feelings and emotions of the service.

Thanks for the memories...of Gympie. :)

Pamela said...

It must be like our Memorial Day,
or Veterans Day