ANZAC Day will be different in Orbost this year, but we will still remember them.

As might be expected, due to the constraints of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) there will be no community ANZAC Day dawn service, ANZAC Day march or Commemoration Service at the Orbost Cenotaph this Saturday, April 25.

On Monday, March 16, 2020, RSL Victoria held an emergency meeting of the ANZAC Day Commemorative Committee (ADCC) to discuss whether commemorative services on ANZAC Day would go ahead amid rising coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.

Together, the ADCC and RSL Victoria agreed to the following:

• There will be a single Dawn Service at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance commencing at 6am, however the public will be asked not to attend.
• The Dawn Service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance will be conducted with a small number of official guests and modified to minimise COVID-19 risk.
• The ANZAC Day march through Melbourne’s CBD and midday service at the Shrine of Remembrance are cancelled.
• RSL subbranches across Victoria

will also be asked to conduct a single ANZAC Day commemorative service only. The public will also be asked not to attend these services.

“ANZAC Day 2020 will not look like the ANZAC Day that so many of us are used to participating in,” RSL Victoria state president, Dr Robert Webster OAM, said.

“But there will be a service, wreaths will be laid, the Last Post will still be played, a minute of silence in memory of the fallen will be observed, though the public will be asked to stay at home. This is not a decision that the RSL takes lightly, but public health and safety must be our priority.”

Dr Webster said while the public has been asked to stay away there are still many ways they can participate in the commemoration on ANZAC Day.

“Traditionally many of us have marked ANZAC Day by attending a dawn service or the ANZAC Day march and Commemoration Service at our local cenotaph,” he said.

“But in 2020, on April 25, when you can’t go to a local dawn service, the RSL is asking that instead you tune in via radio, social media or television and take a moment to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our veterans and those who are still serving today.”

“The Orbost RSL Subbranch has suggested that community members could stand at their front gate or on their verandah at 6am for one minute’s silence to commemorate our local fallen veterans and all veterans who have helped to defend our country,” Orbost RSL president, Dick Roebuck, said.

“The Orbost Fire Station siren will sound to augment the solemnity of the moment.

“You may even wish to wear medals and display the Australian or New Zealand flag, or both.”

Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs and State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, said we must never forget the sacrifices of our past servicemen and women and those who continue to serve our nation.

“At this unprecedented period of isolation it is more important than ever to come together as a nation to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Mr Bull said.

“Reflecting on the challenges and successes of our past servicemen and women, and those who continue to serve today, it’s a timely reminder to stay strong and united at times of hardship and to continue to support one another.

“I urge all Victorians to stay home and take part in the ‘Light up the Dawn’ initiative this ANZAC Day by raising a torch, candle or the light on your phone and observing a minutes silence at dawn on April 25.”

“The most important thing is that together we remember our pledge as a nation; Lest We Forget,” Dr Webster said.

IMAGE: While members of the public will be unable to attend dawn or midmorning ANZAC Day services this Saturday at the Orbost Cenotaph, there are other ways in which they can pay their respects and remember local fallen veterans and all veterans who have helped to defend our country.