Ballarat Dawn Service

This morning I joined the convoy of cars heading into the centre of Ballarat, for the ANZAC Dawn Service. In the dark, people from all different directions converged into the centre grass strip of Sturt Street, between St Andrews and St Patricks Churches, to gather for the service. Around 2000 people gathered in the chilly, crisp morning around the cenotaph, to pay tribute to the fallen, the returned, and the serving Australian and New Zealand military personnel.

The gathering of a full range of age groups was standing around the crosses laid our in rememberance for those lost from the local area. An address to open, this years service included a history of the Dawn Service, with the first service, 88 years ago in Albany remembered, which commemorated the place of the final glimpse of Australian land the soldiers heading off to Egypt, and ultimately Gallipoli, saw.

The Last Post and a minutes silence ended the short service, as light started to break.

This year has probably meant more to me, along side the one 6 years ago at Anzac Cove, because about a third of my caseload at work at the moment are returned soldiers, who I work with on their return to function after physical and psychological injuries, and some experiencing unimaginable atrocities, in the various ADF efforts around the world at the moment.

Lest We Forget.