WITH a march led by the members of the 623 Squadron Air Force Cadets, hundreds of people from Irymple gathered at Henshilwood Reserve on Thursday morning to remember those who served and died for Australia.
The local Anzac Day event was organised by Di Eagle, who is also the secretary of the Red Cliffs/Irymple RSL Women’s Auxiliary.
She said it was important to mark the more than a century of sacrifice by people from the town.
“It’s just a little place, but a lot of people come to the commemoration,” she said.
“A lot of local people like to celebrate in their local area because they have family members who fought the wars.”
Fred and Jamie Turlan and Andy Arnold are some of those people.
They went to the Irymple event in part to mark their family’s long history of giving and loss for Australia.
They had fathers and grandfathers who fought and died on the battlefields of both world wars, in places like New Guinea and Villers-Bretonneux.
“We lost an uncle and he’s buried over in France,” Fred said.
“It’s our country, so we’ve got to try and look after it and they put their lives on the line to do it.
“There’s more people recognising what went on. Years ago it was it was just the veterans and maybe their families who attended, but now there’s a lot more recognition about what was given.”
Like the like the Turlan’s and Mr Arnold, Ms Eagle said it was a close family connection to Australia’s military history that maintained her passion for celebrating Anzac Day.
“I took up coordinating in honour of my dad,” Ms Eagle said.
“He used to march here. I grew up in Irymple, my family grew up here, dad fought in the Second World War, he’s a life member of the Red Cliffs/Irymple RSL as well, and I’ve taken them his in honour of him.”
While time is impacting on the ranks representing people who served, and those with a direct connection to them, across the nation and at Irymple the flag is being picked up by younger generations.
Ms Eagle welcomed and commended the youthful participation in Anzac Day commemorations.
“The secondary school is involved, as well as the Iryimple and Irymple South primary schools, Scouts, Guides, and Brownies,” she said.
“It’s lovely to see the young ones getting involved and carrying on the day.”
Likewise, Mr Arnold said it was important to acknowledge and pass on personal and public military histories to young people.
“It’s easy to lose history,” he said. “If someone doesn’t make the effort to find out and tell your kids and your grandkids, they won’t know.
“We’re standing here in a free and democratic country with a stable government, there’s a lot of countries can’t say that.
“It would have been a whole different story if these people didn’t go and serve.
“My granddad slogged through the jungle for two-and-a-half years in Papua New Guinea.
“If he didn’t do that, and a heap of his mates didn’t do that, where would be we now?”
