THE SS&A Club was a swirl of noise and action on Anzac Day as hundreds of punters tried their luck at two-up.
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The coin game, which is only legal for one day each year, was played extensively by Australian soldiers during World War I and has become an Anzac Day tradition.
An upstairs room at the club was packed with up to 300 people during the day as people waved money and shouted in both joy and agony as the coins fell.
Albury man Tony Towne, who served three deployments to the Middle East and one deployment to the Solomon Islands during his army career, introduced his 18-year-old son James to the game on Saturday.
“When I joined the army they introduced me to it and my father, grandfather and uncles all served in the army and played it,” Tony said.
“James marched with Legacy in the parade and I marched too.
“I brought him back to the SS&A to feel what it’s like to be part of the Anzac tradition.”
Brendan Robins, who has been in the army for four years, has been playing two-up each Anzac Day for almost a decade.
While the Wodonga man is a veteran of the game, he was experiencing a rough patch on Saturday.
“I’ve had to have a breather, otherwise I’d be broke by 2pm,” he joked.
“It’s so popular, I can’t actually see what’s going on.”
Mr Robins, who wore his Australian Defence Medal, said it was a proud day for current and former defence force personnel.
“It’s one day of the year where we show our pride in what we do,” he said.
SS&A Club customer service manager Nathan Collins said the wet weather had forced the game to be held inside, but said that had probably added to the atmosphere.
“People can’t wait for two-up every year,” he said.
“It gets bigger and better each year and more venues are doing it.
“It’s a bit of a novelty so everyone wants to play it and have a punt.”
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