Albury dawn service set to be biggest in years

ALBURY’s Anzac Day dawn service tomorrow will be the city’s biggest in years.

The 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing has generated unprecedented interest.

Albury RSL vice-president Mark Dando said up to 800 people had attended last year’s Monument Hill service.

“I can’t anticipate the number this year,” he said. “The interest that’s been shown, the phone calls we’ve received — it’s just extraordinary.

“It’s way ahead of previous years so I imagine there’s be a lot of people up there.”

The buses the SS&A Club and Albury Council provide have already been booked, prompting some complaints.

“The reality is you just can’t fit that many buses up there,” Mr Dando said.

Vietnam veterans will hold an event at the SS&A Club’s memorial wall at 7.30am.

And at 8am, the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia will conduct a ceremony for the dead at the Waugh Road cemetery.

The march will begin at 9am, after a fly-over of a World War II Kitty- hawk fighter, flown by Alan Arthur.

Mr Dando said there also would be a fly-over in formation of eight naval helicopters during the march.

“At the march itself, we have a refurbished Bren gun carrier and a Bushmaster protected vehicle from the Bandiana army base,” he said.

“The light horse riders will head down the main street.”

Fairfax has compiled more than 1000 Faces of Anzacs from you, our readers, as a tribute to the men and women who served our country in the name of freedom. You can read their stories at the link above. 

Descendants of World War I soldiers have been asked to lead the march.

Marchers from various conflicts will follow in order — World War II, Korea, Malaya-Borneo, Vietnam — followed by those involved in peacekeeping roles.

They will be followed by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Service organisations will then follow, with school students rounding out the march.

“If the weather’s like it was today and if we went on last year’s march, the streets will be packed,” Mr Dando said.

“We were amazed at the crowd last year. It was just fantastic.”

Mr Dando said the support of many groups and individuals had been outstanding, particularly the Albury Council’s plan to hand out 1000 Australian flags.

A service will also be held at the monument at 10am, then wreaths will be laid at the Commercial Club for the 2/23rd (Albury’s Own) Battalion and Vietnam veterans.

Veterans will then move to the Albury Club for an hour, followed by a lunch at the SS&A and a wind-up of commemorations about 3pm.

“Some RSL guys will be going to the sportsground for the traditional football match,” he said.

“We’ll go around with buckets asking for donations so we can get some money to help our old veterans.”

Mr Dando said tomorrow “really is going to be a big day”.

“I’m just hoping that the forecast showers will hold off — at least until the afternoon,” he said.