Sunday, April 25, 2010

ANZAC day

Wow, what a start to a public holiday.

A 20 min drive in the dark, avoiding wallaby, to the cenataph at Emita for a dawn service commemorating soldiers from the first world war, and subsequent wars. We stood out on the grass, about 1oo/150 of us, (out of a population of 700) while it slowly got light enough to see who we were standing next to. The sun finally rose as the service finished and shone on the flag at half mast. As the "last post" played it almost echoed in the predawn calm, but as the sun rose the wind rose with it. Unfortunately we had left the camera, with the torches, at home so we have no beautiful dawn photo's showing the cloud formations, but they were worth getting up for.

It was wonderful to see so many people up so early to share the service, especially as there is a second service at 11am in town, not miles out in the "bush".

Then it was off to a nearby farm where Lions had cooked breakfast and we could have our morning coffee with or without rum! We met some new people, who sound even better at foraging than we are. I hope we can do some trading with them, abalone for wallaby, we will see when they get back from a six week trip "off island".

4 comments:

  1. It's always an amazingly moving thing - the dawn service...

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  2. It was the first time I have been to a service like that, and to be on a hill with a curve of sea below and in front of us, and the sun coming up over low hills behind us, and the last post playing. Shivers are still going down my spine. My Dad fought in the First World War, and my mother in the Second, it was a wonderful way to remember them, as well as all the Australian soldiers.

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