Community
17 April, 2025
RSL ready for Anzac Day
FINAL preparations are being made for services next week (Friday, April 25) as the district prepares to commemorate Anzac Day.
Camperdown Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-branch president Kevin Murray said the RSL was “good to go” for the service this year.
“We’re really well-organised so far,” he said.
“Everything we could possibly do in advance has been done and is in place.
“We’ve gotten confirmation from all the participants.”
The Camperdown sub-branch will be hosting a Dawn Service at the Soldier’s Memorial on Manifold Street from 6am, with a gunfire breakfast to be held at the hall at 14 Pike Street from 7am.
The main event, which will include the annual Anzac Day march, will be held later in the morning.
Residents participating in the march are asked to meet at the Post Office at 190 Manifold Street from 9.45am for a 10am start.
The march will head towards the Soldier’s Memorial, where the daytime service will commence.
“This year, we’ve got Toby McKenzie coming down to the after-march service and leading us in the National Anthem,” Mr Murray said.
“Last year it was just the music on its own, and a few people suggested it would be far better to have a singer because people join in if someone’s singing – they tend to not join in if someone’s not encouraging that.
“We’ve got a guest speaker coming along – a young person this time.
“His name is Corporal Liam Mac, and he’s an army air defender in the artillery corps from South Australia – at the moment he’s doing a language course in Laverton, which is where the Defence School of Languages is.
“He’s coming along to talk to us, so that’ll be a younger point of view – he hasn’t served overseas, but he might be able to tell us about things we wouldn’t otherwise know.”
Mr Murray said 2025 marked two significant anniversaries in Australian Defence Force history.
“This year, we’ll be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which happened in two parts – we had peace in Europe three months ahead of peace in the Pacific,” he said.
“I’ll be talking about some numbers and involvements in that.
“It’s also the 75th anniversary of Australia’s commitment to the Korea War, which has become known universally as ‘The Forgotten War’.
“Everybody seems to remember the world wars - as you should – everybody remembers Vietnam, and even more modernly we remember Afghanistan and Iraq, but people tend to forget that only five years after the end of Second World War we were at war again in Korea.”
Following the service, residents are invited to the RSL Hall for refreshments.
A service will also be held in Derrinallum for residents of Derrinallum, Lismore and surrounds.
Residents are asked to gather at the cenotaph in Derrinallum’s Main Street at 10.30am for a 10.45am start.
The Derrinallum Lismore History Rooms will be open from 10am for browsing, with the rooms also hosting refreshments following the service.