April 24, 2018
The South Burnett will be commemorating Anzac Day on Wednesday, April 25 with services held in almost every town and village in the region.
Larger towns (Blackbutt, Yarraman, Nanango, Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon) will hold Dawn Services, pilgrimages to war graves and Commemoration Services during the morning.
Smaller towns and localities (Cooyar, Maidenwell, Bunya Mountains, Kumbia, Wooroolin, Hivesville, Proston, Boondooma Homestead, Cherbourg and Widgee) will hold marches and commemoration services.
This year’s Anzac Day marks the 103rd anniversary of the original landing by Anzac forces at Gallipoli.
It also marks the centenary of the horrendous fighting at Villers-Bretonneux in which Australian forces recaptured the French town on April 24-25, 1918, suffering nearly 2500 casualties.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which drew to a close on November 11, 1918 with the signing of the Armistice – a historic moment that will form the backdrop of this year’s Remembrance Day services.
Anzac Day is a public holiday and most shops and businesses will either be closed for the entire day, or at least until noon.
Most community groups will also be taking the day off.
Here’s where this year’s Anzac Day commemorations will be held:
- Blackbutt-Benarkin will be marking Anzac Day with a Dawn Service at the Memorial at the corner of Hart and Coulson Streets at 4:27am; and then a Commemoration service at the Coulson Street memorial at 11:00am.
- Boondooma and Durong will hold a commemoration and wreath-laying service at 9:00am at Boondooma Homestead at 8262 Durong-Mundubbera Road.
- Bunya Mountains will hold a wreath-laying service at the Lone Pine in the Dandabah camping area at 8:00am.
- Cherbourg will hold a Commemoration Service at 8:00am, followed by a morning tea at the Ration Shed Museum.
- Hivesville will hold at Dawn Service in Main Street at 5:30am, followed by a community breakfast in Anzac Park opposite the Hivesville Hotel
- Kingaroy will hold a Dawn Service at the rotunda in Memorial Park at 4:28am, followed by a pilgrimage to the War Service Graves at Taabinga Cemetery at 8:00am. At 10:30am, marchers taking part in the annual march should assemble at Kingaroy RSL for an 11:00am march to Memorial Park, where there will be a citizen’s observance at 11:15am.
- Kumbia will mark Anzac Day with a march. Marchers should assemble at the flower garden at the northern end of Bell Street at 8:45am for a step off, which will be followed by a Commemoration Service at 9:00am.
- Maidenwell will mark Anzac Day with a QCWA morning tea at Maidenwell Hall at 9:30am, followed by a wreath laying at the Maidenwell War Memorial at 10:30am.
- Murgon will hold a fellowship at the Murgon RSL Club at 4:45am, followed by a Dawn Service at the Murgon War Memorial at 5:30am. Marchers in the annual parade should assemble in the RSL’s rear car park at 9:00am for a 9:45am step off, which will be followed by a Commemoration Service and wreath laying at the Memorial at 10:00am.
- Nanango will hold a fellowship for RSL Sub-branch members and their families, visiting veterans and ex defence personnel at Taras Hall at 5:00am, then a march from the RSL to the Memorial at 5:20am, where a Dawn Service will be held at 5:30am. This will be followed by a pilgrimage to the Veterans Graves at Nanango Cemetery at 7:00am. Participants in the annual Anzac Day march should assemble in Howlett Lane at 8:15am for an 8:45am step off, followed by a Commemoration Service at the War Memorial at the corner of Drayton and Henry Streets at 9:00am.
- Proston will hold a Dawn Service at the Proston RSL Rooms in Collingwood Street at 5:30am.
- Wondai will hold a Dawn Service at 5:00am, which will be accompanied by a march from the Post Office along Mackenzie Street to the War Memorial. At 8:00am there will be a pilgrimage to the War Service Graves at the Wondai Cemetery, followed by a 10:00am Commemoration Service, wreath laying and procession at the War Memorial outside Wondai Town Hall.
- Wooroolin will hold a parade at 11:00am, followed by a Commemoration Service at the Wooroolin Memorial Hall at 11:15am.
- Yarraman will hold a Dawn Service at the Cenotaph in Memorial Park at 6:00am, followed by a pilgrimage to the War Service Graves at 7:30am. At 10:45am, marchers should assemble to attend the main service at the Cenotaph at 11:00am for a commemorative service, which will be followed by a community lunch at Yarraman’s Memorial Hall in Browne Street.
- Cooyar will mark Anzac Day with a march from Cooyar Public Hall at 9:45am to the Cooyar War Memorial for a service at 10:00am, which will be followed by a community morning tea at the Cooyar Hotel.
- Widgee will hold a Dawn Service at 6:00am at the Widgee Cenotaph, followed by a 7:00am breakfast at the Memorial Hall, and then an Anzac Day Parade leaving from principal’s residence next to Widgee School at 8:30am. The main commemoration service will commence immediately after the parade ends.
Footnote: The RAAF has also scheduled fly-overs over various Queensland towns on Anzac Day. An F/A-18F Super Hornet will fly over Kumbia Memorial Hall at 10:18am, Mackenzie Street in Wondai at 10:23am and Lamb Street in Murgon at 10:26am.
