By JESSE GRAHAM, KATH GANNAWAY AND PETER DOUGLAS
AT THE 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, residents in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges stopped to remember.
At 11am, Remembrance Day services were held at cenotaphs and RSLs around the valley and the hills, to pay tribute to those who fought and died for Australia.
The event is held on the anniversary of the end of World War I, and this year’s service marks 97 years since the conflict ended.
Yarra Ranges mayor Maria McCarthy said the day was “patriotic”, and made a speech in Lilydale about the men and women who left their homes in the Yarra Ranges to fight in the war.
But Cr McCarthy noted that the day was a time for reflection, not a celebration.
“They were talking about it on the radio this morning, about it being a celebration,” she said.
“But it’s disappointing that people see it as a celebration – it’s really a commemoration.
“We’re not celebrating the war, we’re commemorating the war and we’re grateful that people went and gave their lives for us.”
Despite the event being held on a weekday, large crowds made their way out to services, with school students representing their communities in the crowds and on the podiums with speeches.
Healesville RSL commemorations officer Bob Gannaway said that the 100th anniversary of the end of the war would fall on a Sunday, and so a large event would be planned to mark the occasion.
Mail journalists and photographers were out at services – view the gallery for our coverage.
