Commemorations held to the sound of silence

DANDENONG and Noble Park RSLs stopped last week to quietly remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Australia.
Almost 100,000 Australians were killed in World War I and II, with many hundreds of thousands more injured, wounded, or taken prisoner by enemy forces.
Dandenong RSL held its service at the Pillars of Freedom war memorial, where hundreds gathered for an 11am ceremony.
Students from Dandenong Primary School and Dandenong High School took part in the ceremony, along with local cadet groups, Greater Dandenong councillors and residents.
The official Remembrance Day lament, Amazing Grace, was played on bagpipes while people observed a minute’s silence before laying wreaths and poppies at the foot of the main pillar.
Dandenong RSL members later gathered in the members’ garden to unveil a plaque in honour of pastpresident James Michael Hardy, who gave 50 years of service to the RSL.
Meanwhile, Noble Park RSL president Gordon Murray said more than 300 people turned out, and seven schools from the Noble Park area attended the Noble Park ceremony to lay wreaths.