A SOLEMN service was held on Wednesday 16 April, for veterans and family members at RSL LifeCare’s Peter Sinclair Gardens in Hawks Nest.
Organised by the Tea Gardens RSL sub-Branch, the service allowed residents to pay their respects in the lead-up to Anzac Day.
After the “Myall Melodians” sang the recessional hymn, Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AC, in whose honour the care home was named, delivered the commemorative address.
He reminisced on his visits to Anzac Cove in recent years, as well as his time and experiences in the nation’s armed services.
“Anzac Day is not a celebration of victory in battle; we especially do not glorify war,” he said. “The Western Front and Gallipoli exposed war for the obscenity that it is.
“We should also remember those who have lost their lives in peacetime operations.
“And in our daily lives we should face things with the same courage and determination as they showed on the battlefield.”
The Ode was recited by resident and veteran National Serviceman Stewart Derwin, who reflected upon his father’s internment by the Japanese for four years during WWII.
Wreaths were laid on behalf of the residents by the RSL sub-Branch, RSL LifeCare, and the Red Cross, while resident veterans Norma Glenn and Noel Austin recited the Prayer for Peace and a poem for the occasion.
Local RSL sub-Branch “Padre” Reverend Richard Goscombe, spoke of the poignant closeness of Easter to Anzac Day this year.
“There is no greater sacrifice than to lay down one’s life, as Jesus did, and we remember those who laid down their lives for their nation.
“I sense an overwhelming gratitude for their sacrifices, and we must commit to live a life that expresses that gratitude.”
The Tea Gardens Anzac Day Dawn Service will begin at 6am on 25 April, rain, hail or shine.
It will feature a symbolic re-enactment of the Gallipoli Landing, followed by a “gunfire breakfast” hosted by the Tea Gardens Country Club and cooked by volunteers from the Pindimar-Tea Gardens RFS Brigade.
The 11am service will begin with the assembly of community groups along Marine Drive from 10:15am, moving off to reaching Anzac Park by 11am.
It will be followed by lunch at the Tea Gardens Country Club, and the obligatory rounds of Two-Up.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
