REMEMBRANCE Day is expected to pull a large crowd this year as growing numbers of volunteers and school children pay their respects.
Poppies and merchandise go on sale in the Swan Hill CBD this week ahead of a ceremony at Swan Hill Cenotaph this Sunday.
The annual tradition commemorates 11am on November 11, 1918 when the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare.
‘Armistice Day’ was renamed Remembrance Day after World War II by Australians and British as the commemoration grew to include all war dead.
Swan Hill RSL president Barry Townley said volunteers for selling poppies had jumped 30 per cent from last year and attendance was also good, boosted by schools’ participation.
“Our volunteer base overall has increased, but for Remembrance Day we had a good response for the last few years, because we got the schools involved,” Mr Townley said.
Year six students from the district will lay wreaths at Swan Hill cenotaph on Sunday and the RSL will present a special scholarship following the ceremony.
Mr Townley said the Remembrance Day ceremony usually received less people than the Anzac Day service because the 11th day of the 11th month of the year usually fell on a workday.
Falling on Sunday this year is expected to boost attendance but Mr Townley said, workday or not, more people should interrupt their business for a minute to think.
“I think they should think and should have a moment to reflect at 11 o’clock to remind them over 102,000 people (Australia-wide) actually lost their lives in the econd and first world wars,” he said.
“All those names on the cenotaph lost their lives for the people in Swan Hill.”
Mr Townley said there were no firm estimates on the number from the Swan Hill district that have fallen at war but about 4000 residents left to serve in the second and first world wars.
Poppies and other merchandise are available at Coburn’s SportsPower, Aldi, Safeway, Coles and Ian Ray’s Betta Home Living. Proceeds go to the RSL’s assistance for current and former serving members of the Australian and/or Allied Defence Forces and their dependents.
The Remembrance Ceremony will begin at about five minutes to 11am on Sunday at the Swan Hill Cenotaph, with the scholarship presentation at 12pm at the Swan Hill RSL.
