Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
POLITICIANS and students, Girl Guides and ambulance officers, those dressed in suits and those wrapped in sleeping bags were united in Bathurst this morning as they gathered in the darkness for the Anzac Day dawn service.
One of the largest crowds in recent years gathered around the Carillon in Bathurst, offering prayers to Australia's servicemen and women. They remembered the fallen who gave their lives to uphold freedom, those who returned and those who are currently serving.
President of the Bathurst RSL sub branch David Mills addressed the more than 1,000 people who had gathered as they stood in solemn silence.
"We think of a similar morning in 1915 and recall the great and terrible sacrifice made by Australians during the nine months campaign at Gallipoli," he said.
"This morning we remember with pride and deep sadness the very great cost of that campaign to Australia and the cost of the following campaigns across the years and across the globe."
Nearly 2,000 men died in the first 24 hours after the landing at Anzac Cove and in the 99 years since then countless Australian men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.
While yesterday brought with a clear morning with the temperature a mild 12.4 degrees, those who they had gathered to honour have faced much harsher elements over the years.
Yet through it all they displayed that renowned Anzac spirit and Mills said that was a reason for everyone to feel proud.
"Whenever you read of Australians at war some very clear images emerge. Firstly they were normal, average men and women of character, resilience, selflessness and perseverance. They looked after each other and would never consider leaving a comrade behind," he said.
"Secondly they possessed an enormous desire to do their duty. While they are often not professional soldiers, they had a great commitment to the job and carried it out with energy and initiative and took great pride in knowing what Australia could do and they match it with the very best in the world. Successfully.
"So let us mourn with pride and let us remember with equal pride those who served and died. Let's today commemorate the spirit of Anzac which dwells in each of us."