The Mount Gambier Community RSL will hold a series of services in honour of Anzac Day next Friday.
The ceremonies will honour the more than 1.5 million service men and women who have defended Australia in all conflicts, wars and peacekeeping operations and the more than 102,000 who sacrificed their future for ours.
The events started with the 44th Salvation Army Accolade wreath laying ceremony at the Salvation Army Citadel on Tuesday night with the offerings of the annual service donated to Legacy Australia.
On Thursday, April 24, a Kapyong Day Service will be held at 11am at the Soldiers Memorial in Vansittart Park which will honour a large battle during the Korean War and last local Korean War veteran 95-year-old Roy Underwood.
Reidy Park Primary School will attend the Kapyong Day Service and place white crosses under the lone pine tree at the Vansittart Park Soldiers Memorial in preparation for Anzac Day.
The Anzac Day Dawn Service will commence at around 6.10am with Pastor David Sigley leading the service, Royal Australian Navy Captain Alistair Cooper from Canberra delivering a short address and Tenison Woods College captain Sam Crispino reciting the Anzac Requiem.
Dawn Service attendees are invited back to the Mount Gambier Community RSL following the ceremony for breakfast and fellowship.
At 9am, a Boer War Service will take place at the Bay Road site presented by Mr Sandow and Captain Cooper while a coinciding Airman’s Service will be conducted by Reverend Murray Earl at the Australia War Graves commissioned site in the Lake Terrace Cemetery to honour the memory of the four local veterans who reside there.
Compton Primary School will make wreathes for Mr Sandow and Captain Cooper for the Boer War Service and will join students from Moorak Primary School and Mount Gambier High School for both the Boer War Service and Airman’s Service.
The Anzac Day march will start at 10.10am and be led by around 10 members of the 10/27th Battalion Reserve Unit and include a Bushmaster vehicle.
Pastor Sigley will lead the mid-morning service, Captain Cooper will deliver an Anzac address and Mount Gambier High School Captain Callum McIntyre-Gregory will recite the Anzac Requiem.
The RSL Blue Lake Highland Pipe Band and Mount Gambier City Band will perform at the service and there will be a Royal Australian Airforce flyover by a Poseidon 80A from the west at 11.35am.
The Women’s Auxiliary will host a lunch assisted by Lions at the Mount Gambier Community RSL following the later service.
The RSL Blue Lake Highland Pipe Band will make an appearance during the afternoon and two up will be played.
At 12.45pm, Mr Sandow, Captain Cooper and Mount Gambier Community RSL committee members will host a short service at Casadio Park in honour of Tony Casadio who was killed in action in Vietnam.
The attention will then be turned to the Limestone Coast Football Netball League A Grade match between North and South Gambier at Vansittart Park from 2pm with the best on ground player awarded the Tony Casadio Anzac Day Medal.
Meanwhile in the Limestone Coast Football Netball League, the South and North Gambier A Grade netballers will compete for the Shirley Underwood OAM Anzac Day Medal at Vansittart Park at 2pm.
At 7pm, for the inaugural time Bob Sandow will conduct an Anzac Day service for the Mount Gambier Pioneers at the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre.
On Saturday, April 26, the Marge Dennett Anzac Day Medal will be presented at the Mount Gambier Netball Association.
On Sunday, April 27, the John Rogers Memorial Medal will be presented at the Kongorong Football Club following the A Grade match at 2.10pm between Kongorong and Tantanoola in the third round of the Mid South Eastern Football League season.
