{"id":297784,"date":"2021-04-26T23:50:17","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T13:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=297784"},"modified":"2021-04-27T17:46:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T07:46:16","slug":"record-crowds-at-commemorations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/04\/26\/record-crowds-at-commemorations\/","title":{"rendered":"Record Crowds At Commemorations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Members of the 177 Army Cadet Unit, Nanango, stand guard on the Nanango Memorial after the main parade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Wreaths surround the Murgon Memorial (Photo: Murgon Moments)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 26, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Any suggestions Anzac Day commemorations are losing public support were blown away in the South Burnett on Sunday.<\/p>\n

After last year’s pandemic-enforced private “Light Up The Dawn” activities, there were fears that Anzac Day could be forgotten by some people this time around.<\/p>\n

But record crowds turned out on Sunday for Dawn Services and Anzac Marches right across the region.<\/p>\n

There were all the traditional solemnities in just about every town (see below): parades, hymns, wreaths and soundings of the Last Post.<\/p>\n

There were also a number of RAAF flyovers: an F\/A 18A\u00a0 Super Hornet in Murgon and Wondai; C-17A Globemaster III in Kingaroy; and two Chinook helicopters in Yarraman.<\/p>\n

But Anzac Day is not just about the past, something which the guest speaker at Murgon’s commemorations emphasised.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Former Private Joseph Thompson grew up in Murgon, served five years with the Australian Army and\u00a0was wounded in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Afghanistan is the longest conflict Australian troops have been involved in, but has slipped out of the public consciousness.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced recently all Aussie troops would be withdrawn by September.<\/p>\n

More than 26,000 Australian soldiers have served in this almost-forgotten conflict: 41 were killed and 249 wounded.<\/p>\n

Tragically, more deaths have continued at home in Australia, prompting the recent announcement of a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An excerpt from Joseph Thompson’s moving speech, which sums up what Anzac Day is all about in 2021:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I had the honour to serve with the 6th<\/sup> Battalion RAR in East Timor and Iraq but it was in Afghanistan that I really cut my teeth as an infantry soldier. It took nine years from September 11 but I finally had my chance to pick a fight with the Taliban.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I served on Mentoring Task Force 1 from February to October 2010.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

“Little did we know it but we were about to face the worst fighting season in the war to date.\u00a0 This deployment would earn my Task Force a battle honour, The Meritorious Unit Citation, also four Medals for Gallantry, one Star of Gallantry (which is the second\u00a0highest honour an Australian soldier can receive) and no less that two Victoria Crosses, awarded to Corporal Daniel\u00a0Keighran and Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

“The media can try and fling mud on Roberts-Smith as much as they want but I know for a fact if it wasn\u2019t for him there would be a lot more names on the honour roll in Canberra.<\/em><\/p>\n

“In terms of casualties, the deployment was an extremely violent one, with the battle group suffering 10 killed in action and 58, including myself, wounded in action.\u00a0 I won\u2019t go into details on my close calls because my mum is here listening.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Today is about remembrance so there are 10 names I would like to mention because if I don\u2019t these men will be forgotten by our nation:\u00a0Sapper Jacob Moreland (who grew up in Gayndah),\u00a0Sapper Darren Smith,\u00a0Private Timothy Aplin,\u00a0Private Benjamin Chuck, Private Scotty Palmer, Private Nathan Bewes,\u00a0Trooper Jason Brown,\u00a0Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, and finally,\u00a0Private Thomas Dale and Private Grant Kirby.<\/em><\/p>\n

“These last two men are especially important to me as we were in the same platoon, the very same section and I watched them die during an IED ambush on a worthless patch of earth in the Baluchi Valley during the largest clearance operation the Australians had fought in since the Vietnam war.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“That patch of earth is not just another part of the planet. An Australian soldier met his end there.\u00a0 It\u2019s now hallowed ground and I hold it in just as much significance as Anzac Cove.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Of the 102,000 Australian soldiers to die in war, these are the men I will be remembering today.”<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

[Photos on this page are by southburnett.com.au, Cherbourg Radio, Murgon Moments, Cr Kathy Duff, Ros Heit and the Bunya Mountains Community Association Inc]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Footnote: If you have photos from your town that you would like to add to this round-up, please email them to news@southburnett.com.au<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n