Anzac Day was commemorated on Wednesday with both Dimboola and Jeparit holding well attended dawn and morning services, and with the Dimboola Memorial Secondary College also holding their annual remembrance service on Tuesday afternoon.

A small crowd of around 30 local residents gathered at 6 am at the Jeparit War memorial in Broadway for the dawn service where Campbell McKenzie, local R.S.L. Sub Branch secretary, gave an address outlining the origins of the dawn service.

The guest speaker at the Dimboola service held at the same time was local World War One historian Charles Rees.

Both services were followed by a breakfast.

Dimboola Service

The annual Anzac Day march in Dimboola commenced at the memorial gates at the from of the secondary college and was led by Girl Guides, including members from the Dimboola and Kaniva groups. These were followed by students from St Peter's Lutheran School, Dimboola Primary School and Dimboola Memorial Secondary College and members of the public.

The march progressed through the Avenue of Honour and when adjacent to the Assembly Hall they joined members of the R.S.L. and local fire brigade for the remainder of the march to the front of the memorial building where the wreath laying took place.

The three local schools, Girl Guides, Country Women's Association, Hindmarsh Shire, local R.S.L and members of the public all laid wreaths. The Horsham Army Reserve unit, 128 Transport Troop, provided the cenotaph guard.

The service which was then held in the College Assembly Hall and was attended by around 140 people. Ivan Jones and Reverend Tupe, from the Dimboola Uniting Church, led the service and the guest speaker was Lieutenant Commander Lachlan Sowden RAN.

Jeparit Service

The Jeparit service commenced at 11 am and started with the local school children entering the Jeparit Memorial Hall and placing crosses bearing the names of local families which contributed volunteers to World War One in front of over 60 people who had gathered for the service.

The guest speaker was Andrew Almond from Horsham who gave a multimedia presentation covering topics including the battles at Villers-Bretonneux and Le Hamel in France in 1918 and the action that led to local volunteer Lawrence Binns earning his Military Medal in May of the same year.

Following the service, a march was held along the main street to the War memorial in Broadway where a wreath was laid.

Above - the Jeparit World War One memorial and the crosses planted by school students bearing the family names of district volunteers who served.

The school students brought the small crosses they had earlier presented at the service and placed them in the ground in front of the World War One memorial. Members of the public were invited to lay a sprig of rosemary beside a cross with a name significant to them.

The day concluded with a barbeque lunch back at the R.S.L. clubrooms at the memorial hall.

Dimboola Memorial Secondary College Service

The theme of the Dimboola Memorial Secondary College service on Tuesday was acknowledging the wartime service given by animals including horses, dogs, homing pigeons and many others.

The purple poppy is the symbol of this service.

Students, staff and visitors pinned these poppies to a board featuring the outline of a horse to symbolise this sacrifice.



Above - The Captains from the three Dimboola schools in front of the purple poppy horse (from left) - Dimboola Memorial Secondary College Captains Tristan Rayes and Danni Haebich, St Peter's Lutheran School Captains Jaidyn McNee and Peter Wright and Dimboola Primary School Captains Ava Clark and Alyssa Petschel.