ANZAC Day centenary commemorations will, as is tradfitional, focus on the Wauchope RSL Club.
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From the 5am coffee invitation before the dawn service to the 10.15am form up before the main service and then into the afternoon, the club will be the hub.
You can download the full program below.
Anzac Day: Behind the scenes at Wauchope: For Wauchope RSL sub-branch president Des Hancock, Anzac Day starts even earlier than it does for those attending the dawn service. Click here for more
Church service on Sunday will honours Anzacs
A SPECIAL service to commemorate the centenary of Anzac Day will be held in the Wauchope Uniting Church at 9am on Sunday, April 26.
The service will have a focus on the World War I experience of one young man of the time, Private Horace Newbery, of the 20th Battalion.
Private Newbery wrote a number of letters to his family during his service in the Great War, and this correspondence has been highly valued by the Rev. Elizabeth Raine, minister of the Wauchope Uniting Church.
“My great-uncle Horace enlisted early in 1915,” the Rev. Raine said. “Although he was not part of the initial battalions which landed at Gallipoli, when he arrived in the theatre of war he was deployed to the Gallipoli Peninsula.
He survived that campaign and was transferred to France. On three occasions he was wounded in battle on the Western Front.
After the first two woundings, he was returned to the Front, despite his injuries. On the third occasion, in March 1918, he died from gunshot wounds suffered in battle.”
During the service this Sunday, the Rev. Raine will draw from the letters from Horace Newbery, as well as letters sent to him by his family, to reflect on the way that Anzac Day brings together the secular and sacred in our Australian society, in a way that is meaningful to all people.
“Anzac Day has become one of the few arenas of history and remembrance that has the ability to create a deep sense of community”, the Rev. Raine continued.
“It epitomises what it means to stick together, especially in times of trouble. It also serves as a vehicle for remembered grief, both for first hand experiences, and also for family memories of soldiers kept alive by younger generations.
“At its best, Christianity shares with Anzac Day this solidarity with human frailty and vulnerability.”
All members of the public are invited to spend some further time in reflecting on the deep significance of our Anzac tradition.
For details, phone 0408 024 642 or 6586 4632