The Anzac Spirit, 25,000 strong in the Hills

As the dawn light pierced the dark sky, thousands of locals made their way off buses, and from cars to get a spot on the football field at the Centenary of Anzac Reserve in Castle Hill to commemorate 100 years of the Anzacs at the dawn service.

The crowd gathered together at dawn to commemorate and honour those who have served and still serve our country.

Earlier that morning, veterans from World War II, Vietnam, and The Gulf as well as serving soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq marched alongside each other as the Castle Hill RSL Youth Orchestra provided the beat of the drums for them to march to.

The service commenced with the Anzac Day address given by Brigadier Phillip Bridie AM, who spoke of the hundreds of local residents that fought on the frontline in World War I, particularly telling the story of the two Fuller brothers Godfrey and Charles. He then went on to acknowledge the veterans who have passed away in the last year and joined their fallen comrades.

Many who fought on the frontline in Gallipoli, those one hundred years ago, died in battle and their bodies not found. Five young locals stood up and acknowledged one by one each of those local Hills soldiers who are original Anzacs and died in battle. Each stating the soldiers name, rank, age, cause of death, time of death and their unknown grave status.

The wreath laying ceremony saw almost 100 wreaths laid, all by the local schools, each one represented by their school captains or vice captains.

As the ode concluded with a chorus of “Lest We Forget” from the 25,000 people in attendance, the trumpet began to play the familiar sound of the Last Post. Followed by a rendition of the Last Post on the bagpipes, finished with a minutes silence, in which you could hear a pin drop.

The crowd proceeded to proudly sing the national anthems of both New Zealand and Australia. As the service came to a close the crowd were asked to join others at Castle Hill RSL for breakfast following the service.

For many, Anzac Day can be very emotional day of remembrance. One man, Kevin Baird, a member of the Australian Army said “Its important, its very important for the young people of today to remember those that have gone before us. There’s a lot of people that have kept this country safe for us and have sacrificed their lives to do it.”, it then became too emotional for him to say anymore and apologised before walking away. There is a clear passion and deep appreciation amongst the community for those men and women who continue to serve and protect their country.

The crowd that had gathered was truly a sight to behold, to see a community coming together as one to commemorate and pay their respects to those who have sacrificed their lives for their country and continue to do so today. Many families were in attendance, most with young children.

When commemorating such an important day in our Australian History, its astounding to see the continuation of appreciation for the sacrifices made, from generation to generation. LAC Daniel Nayler of the RAAF said “[This day] It means everything. We sign on the dotted line just to provide for you, for everybody. Doesn’t matter who you are or where your from, we provide and thats what were here for.”, Nayler had his young son with him during the ceremony.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.”

Lest We Forget