By KATH GANNAWAY
THOUSANDS of people walked in the footsteps of the Anzacs on Saturday morning, and it was an emotional journey.
Some 100 years on from the landing at Gallipoli, people of all ages from communities along the Warburton Highway trod the soil which all those years ago, young men from those very communities would have walked.
They would have been members of the local football club making their way to practice at Millgrove where, in a tiny town, a crowd of over 2000 people gathered for the dawn service.
They may have worked on the orchards that still spread out to the highway from Wandin Yallock, or sat writing on slate chalkboards at the school just over the road from where wreaths were laid in their memory at the cenotaph.
They might have been boys, hurrying along with their families walking down the main street to the corner store, or to catch a train ‘down the line’ at Yarra Junction where kids with cheeky grins walked hand in hand with their parents during the march – as they might have done.
They would have looked across to the mist rising on the mountains above Warburton on many chilly mornings and felt at home. Perhaps they were thinking of joining the new fire brigade!
They could never have imagined that 100 years down the track, songs would be written in their honour and that schoolchildren would be singing “Come On Home Boys” as they looked across to the same misty mountains.
At each service and march there were common threads.
Record attendances were expected, but overwhelmingly exceeded what most of the organising bodies had envisaged, reflecting the importance of marking 100 years passed.
The diverse groups which make up the Upper Yarra communities – emergency services, schools, the RSLs, sporting clubs, churches, Scouts and Guides, townships groups and businesses, paid respect and contributed to the organisation of the events.
Traditions such as the reading of The Ode, laying of wreaths, a minute’s silence and moving speeches were observed and delivered with special meaning at each location.
And, there were the unique contributions of each community.
At Millgrove, local schoolchildren placed lanterns around the memorial, Holly-Jo Nelson and Geoff Wood sang incredibly moving songs penned for the centenary and serving RAAF Flying Officer, local ‘girl’ Deidre Irwin spoke of her experiences around the world.
Her 12-year career has seen her serve in the Middle East and Afghanistan where she was Staff Officer to the Australian Commander of Operations, Major-General Craig Orme.
She said she was honoured to be back in her home town commemorating such a special anniversary.
“It is a day on which we remember Australian who served and died in all wars of conflict and peacekeeping operations,” she said.
“The spirit of Anzac, with its human qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.”
For more pictures see page 8 and 9 or mail.starcommunity.com.au
