A magical commemoration at dawn was followed by Saturday’s Anzac Day service at Anzac Peace Park with crowds lining York Street for the traditional march on a beautiful Albany morning.
Several deep on the pavement of the main street, they came to hear the anthems, the Ode, the Last Post and a moving address from Brig. Mark Bornholt, whose military service had involved much time in the Middle East, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
Brig. Bornholt spoke of the Anzac values of courage, endurance, mateship and sense of duty as he honoured those who left Albany in 1914 and all who have worn the uniform since.
He also had special words for Albany, the home of the Anzacs and the National Anzac Centre, which, he said, was a memorial that brings a distant history much closer to home.
“More than 30,000 troops sailed from here from the first of November 1914, bound for a conflict far from home,” he said.
“Many would land months later at Gallipoli; many would never return; all would be changed forever.
“It is impossible to stand here and not feel the weight of that history.
“The serenity of the location, the curve of the bay, the silhouettes of the ships you can imagine on the horizon.
“Albany holds the echoes of their footsteps and the hopes they carried with them.”
Before his speech, every vantage point in Albany’s main street was utilised as the Australian Army Band, Perth, led the marchers to the park, Waltzing Matilda providing the beat for the footsteps as the crowd headed towards the water.
Thousands watched on as the march went down York Street before finishing at the Peace Park.
In the parade were veterans, the TS Vancouver cadets, resplendent in white, the pipe band of Great Southern Grammar School blasting out Scotland the Brave and a line of schoolchildren of all ages, including the green and gold blazers of Albany Senior High School students which added another burst of colour.
They lined up on the grass in front of the stage to hear national anthems and the welcoming address from Albany RSL president Rex Hendriks.
He urged everyone to remember those who had made the ultimate sacrifice, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who he said had made a major contribution to the defence of the nation.
“Their stories are a vital part of our nation’s history,” he said.
The Right Rev. Ian Coutts read the Prayer of Remembrance before 11 parties of wreath-layers placed 65 tributes along the wall marking the edge of Princess Royal Harbour.
As each group came forward, a lone piper played a lament and the turbines of the windfarm in the distance turned slowly, marking time across the water.
It was quite a moment for Mr Hendriks to read the Ode, followed by the Last Post and then a silence which was broken by the thrumming of the Albany aeroclub flypast, the six planes coming magically out of the clouds.
North Albany High School pupil Frazer Smith then read a letter sent by Trooper William Albert Betts to his mother in 1915.
A member of the 10th Light Horse Regiment, Tpr Betts lost his right eye at Gallipoli, his correspondence from his hospital bed bringing home the horror of the campaign and the uncomplaining stoicism of those who were part of it.
As the clouds closed in and the proceedings came to a close, Brig. Bornholt’s words were still hanging in the breeze.
“You are the custodians of a significant chapter of our national story,” he told the audience.
“Both the Anzac story and the story of the settlement of this city and this State 200 years ago, in December 1826.
“To those who serve, to those who continue to serve and to those who never made the journey home, we remember you, we honour you and we carry your memory forward.
“We commit ourselves to building a nation worthy of your sacrifice, not just with bravery in war, but by unity and fairness in peace.
“Lest we forget.”
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