MORE than 500 people paid their respects at Red Cliffs’ Anzac Day service.
Beginning with a march down Jamieson Avenue and the Calder Highway, the procession headed past the cenotaph and through to Barclay Square.
This year’s Anzac Day service was a significant one for the Red Cliffs community, as 2025 is the 100th anniversary of its RSL.
The guest speaker was local man Ian Cook, whose both grandfathers served overseas in World War I, and passed away before he was born.
His paternal grandfather James Alonzo Cook joined the 3rd Field Engineers in 1915 and served in Gallipoli as a driver in the Suez Canal and on the Western Front.
He returned to Australia in May 1919, becoming a soldier settler in Red Cliffs taking up block 242 in the first allocation before dying in 1942 from the long-term effects of mustard gas at age 55.
Ian’s maternal grandfather served in the Middle East in the 9th Light Horse Regiment, returned to Australia with health complications, and died in 1922 at the age of 42.
Mr Cook’s father served in the Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II.
Ian Cook said that despite having had no involvement in the military himself, the Anzac story was deeply personal to him.
“Everyone would have someone they know in their family who had some association with a war somewhere, it’s a time to reflect and remember those stories,” he said.
“The peace and prosperity that we enjoy today is because of those who have served in the past.”
He told the crowd that Red Cliffs’ soldier settlement history meant it had an enduring connection to the Anzacs, as the town was forged based on the spirit of sacrifice, hard work, comradeship, community service, perseverance and creative solutions to problems.
“Red Cliffs has grown and prospered because of our unique beginnings, the Anzac Spirit has been and still is a motivating force, developing our citizens and town’s character,” Mr Cook said.
