WEDNESDAY dawned cloudy but clear, a fitting tribute for this year’s Remembrance Day service at the Swan Hill cenotaph.
Around 170 locals gathered at the centre of the Swan Hill CBD on Wednesday morning to pay their respects.
RSL sub branch president Barry Townley said he was pleased with the turnout, recalling a time 15 years ago when a group of 20 was a good attendance figure.
“It went very well — we don’t normally have that much more,” Mr Townley said.
“It was a real good number, pretty good for a workday.
“It’s increased dramatically over the years.”
Mr Townley said Remembrance Day held an important place in the Australian psyche, despite not being marked by a public holiday like Anzac Day.
“The silence is a time to reflect that I had mates that I lost in Vietnam,” he said.
“I reflect on what they did, and my father in World War II.
After sound system issues during this year’s Anzac Day service, organisers were holding out hope the acoustics would work better for Wednesday’s service.
“The sound system was good today, it didn’t have to cover so much area and it was good for the type of crowd,” said Mr Townley.
Swan Hill college junior captions Liam Ellis and Carrisa McIntyre recited passages during the service, and Mr Townley said it was important for younger Swan Hill locals to be involved in the process of remembering.
“It helps the younger generation to accept what has passed,” he said.
Every Remembrance Day since 2009, Swan Hill RSL award Year 6 students from 11 primary schools around the Swan Hill region with scholarships to ease them into high school.
“It’s become a tradition now as part of our remembrance of the diggers to give the younger generation something, especially the less advantaged,” Mr Townley said.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of Friday’s Guardian (November 13).
