ANZAC Day in Marysville will have special significance this year. The memorial in the main street is among a few treasured landmarks which survived the Black Saturday fires.
The Marysville RSL is inviting residents of Marysville and surrounding districts to embrace the 2009 Anzac Day ceremony as an opportunity to come together once again.
Organiser Nick Jans said the commemoration this year is being given priority support from the Army and they expect a very big turnout, even though the village itself will still be sparsely occupied.
Mr Jans said the 2009 Anzac Day commemoration in Marysville would be significant in two main respects – it will not only commemorate the Anzac spirit but also celebrate the contemporary expression of that spirit.
“On and after Black Saturday, we witnessed many heroic and selfless acts of ordinary citizens,” Mr Jans said. “As well, the community was given unstinting professional support by the Army, the police, the Country Fire Authority, the paramedic organisations and all the other volunteers who helped us through the first few weeks of the recovery process.
“Anzac Day 2009 is an opportunity for all citizens to recognise these actions, as well as to commemorate the fallen.”
Mr Jans said there would also be many more veterans marching this year. “Veterans from all over Australia will be joining local veterans in a show of solidarity and support,” he said.
Among those veterans will be Major General John Cantwell, the Chief of Operations of the Reconstruction Authority.
Mr Jans encouraged all Marysville and district veterans and citizens to invite former comrades and veterans from elsewhere to attend and to participate.
Other VIP guests who have indicated their attendance include McEwen MP Fran Bailey and Seymour MP Ben Hardman and the Deputy Commissioner of Victoria Police Kieran Walshe.
The march will be down the main street, as always, commencing at 11am from the traditional start point, at the roundabout opposite the ruins of Keppel’s Hotel. The ceremony will be conducted at the cenotaph at the lower end of the village.
All citizens and veterans are invited to the Crossways, another surviving landmark, for refreshments at the conclusion of the formal ceremony.
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