FOR many years the Nagambie Healthcare (NHC) hostel residents, hospital and nursing home wing patients, staff and volunteers gathered just prior to ANZAC Day outside in the garden but this year they met the day after outside at the new entrance to the facility.

Pupils from St Joseph’s Primary School read the prayers of “Remembrance” and “Peace”, and Nagambie Primary School students read the ones for “Those who suffer because of war” and one for “Thanksgiving and for those who serve” and then other pupils and a resident of NHC laid wreaths at the base of the flag pole.

The service included an ANZAC Day hymn, prayers, the reading of the ANZAC Requiem, the Ode, Last Post, a minutes silence, Rouse and the raising of the national flag by Nagambie RSL vice president Bev Benson.

The singing of God Bless Australia and our national anthem were the final part of the ceremony that has been held there annually since 2010 (except during the covid pandemic) to commemorate the Australians and New Zealanders who served their country at Gallipoli which created the ANZAC legend and those who served after WWI. Many of the NHC folk in attendance all had family members who had served in one of the conflicts over the past 110 years.

The service commemorated those in the Australian Defence Force in WWI, WWII, Korea, Malaya and Vietnam; also those Australian forces involved in peacekeeping forces or conflicts in Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thanks to the Nagambie Healthcare for allowing the ANZAC Day observance to be brought to the residents, staff and visitors, and support given by volunteers in helping the senior folk to take part in this important commemoration of our history that should be remembered and passed on to our younger generations.

Thanks to the two schools for sending their pupils along to take part in this ANZAC Day ceremony at Nagambie Healthcare once again.