Euroa marks ANZAC Day with well–attended services

EUROA marked ANZAC Day with respect last week, holding a dawn service attended by an estimated 400–500 people and a late morning service attended by an estimated 200–300 people. RSL member Frank York said Euroa's VC Memorial Park was overflowing at the dawn service. On one side of the park attendees stood both behind and in front of the bronze statues, while on the other side attendees stood in a 10–deep row spilling from the sidewalk onto the street, with a line forming all the way back to the Northern Republic restaurant. Volunteers served more than 200 breakfasts at the gunfire breakfast following the service. Mr York said the high turnout rewarded the efforts he and other volunteers had made in organising the dawn service. "We were happy people came and paid their respects and everyone had an enjoyable day," he said. RSL president Phil Munt was the MC at the late morning service and spoke about the war in Ukraine in his opening remarks. "Last year I made reference to the brutal invasion of Ukraine and hoped this situation would not last long – unfortunately, the situation continues," Mr Munt said. He said he hopes the Australian government seeks peaceful relations with all countries, but it was also necessary for the government to be prepared for future conflicts. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," he said, reciting a famous quote. Lieutenant Daniel Nolte and MP for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland were the service's two guest speakers. It was Ms Cleeland's third ANZAC Day ceremony that morning – she had earlier attended services in Seymour and Longwood, and later attended services in Violet Town, Warranbayne and Tatong. Ms Cleeland said Euroa was a town with a proud legacy of ANZACs and ended her speech with a moving recitation of a poem named "The inquisitive mind of a child". Many of the service's attendees had a story to tell about their family's military service. Four brothers, Neil, Daryll, Allen and Malcolm Rowarch, came from all around Victoria to march in Euroa for their father Richard Rowarch, who served in the 39th battalion – the first battalion to cross the Kokoda Trail. Another attendee, Strathbogie farmer Tracey Thomson, said her father Henry Ross Smith suffered and sacrificed a lot, having been a prisoner on the Burma Railway for four years. "When he was older I tried to talk to him about it, but he just used to get so upset about it," Ms Thomson said. "If our parents didn't go to war and fight for our country, we wouldn't have the freedom – we could be a totally different country now."