By Violet Li
Cranbourne stood still on Friday 25 April as the crowd turned out to commemorate ANZAC Day, with the largest attendance seen in years.
Locals attended the dawn and the mid-morning services to pay their respects to those who had served and defended the country.
Dandenong-Cranbourne RSL vice president and veteran Stuart Couch estimated that about a few thousand community members showed up at the mid-morning services, filling Greg Clydesdale Square.
“It is heartening to see our community gather here today. I’ve been doing this only for a few years, but I think that each year it grows,” Mr Couch addressed the public.
He said that Cranbourne RSL had been trying hard to mend the relationship with the community.
“There’s a little bit of background behind it with the loss of the Cranbourne RSL. A lot of people felt angered by the joint standing on the Cranbourne RSL,” he said.
“And we’re here to try and mend those relationships in the community.
“A lot of people think that we’ve forgotten about the Cranbourne community, but the word is starting to get out that we are here for the veterans, and there are a lot of faces here that I’ve seen in the past that are starting to turn back up.
“Rather than go to other services, they’re here.”
The mid-morning service started with a march along High Street, led by local veterans and members of the Dandenong-Cranbourne RSL, followed by school groups, emergency services, and community organisations.
Families, veterans, and children stood shoulder-to-shoulder, coffees in hand, rosemary pinned to their lapels, paying tribute to those who served.
In a stirring address, Mr Couch said ANZAC Day had been one of the most important dates on the Australian calendar since 1916, and it had become an occasion to honour all who had worn the country’s uniform in service.
“At first, it allowed people to honour the original Australians and New Zealanders who fought globally,” he said.
“Then it would become a day for those who served in World War I, then the Second World War, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, the many peacekeeping operations currently underway around the world.
“Today we reflect on that service, and we recognise the more than 100,000 Australians who have given their life in service to this country.”
