2022
Don Mayne sounds the Last Post at Henderson Park.
This year ex-service men and women, emergency services, and students were among a quiet, reflective crowd at Henderson Park to mark Remembrance Day.
Thousands had lost their lives over 75 years of operations in the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia.
A special note was made in regards to the upcoming 81st anniversary of the sinking of the cruiser HMAS Sydney, which was lost on November 19, 1941.
All 645 crew died after a German ship, disguised as a merchant vessel, opened fire on the Sydney off the coast of Western Australia.
Remembrance Day is a time to reflect and pay tribute to all who contributed to Australia’s defence.
2021
Crowd at the Mildura Remembrance Day Service.
Remembrance Day 2021 saw cold wet weather, however that did not deter the Sunraysia Community with a higher than expected number attending the service to pay their respects to people who fought for their country.
Wreaths were also placed by some of the dignitaries, school students, CFA and veterans.
2020
A wreath left at cenotaphs
Remembrance Day 2020 was a little different this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, crowds were thin and there was just a short opportunity for reflection as Remembrance Day was honoured on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month on Wednesday.
A brief ceremony took place at Henderson Park to mark 75 years since the end of World War II.
Although people were unable to gather at the cenotaphs this year, it was encouraged that those wishing to mark the moment that guns fell silent on the Western Front after the bloodshed of World War I were urged to observe their own minute of silence to remember all those who served in world conflicts.
2018
Local WWII veterans, Stuart Murray, 96, and Cecil Driscoll, 98, take time to remember their comrades from the Kokoda track.
Remembrance Day 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. Australia has been involved in many conflicts since.
Local WWII veterans Stuart Murray, 96, and Cecil Driscoll, 98 were part of the 39th Battalion that was the first to take on the Japanese on the Kokoda Track 76 years ago.
The 39th was hastily put together in 1941 and was made up of militia volunteers. More than 65 of these men were from the Sunraysia area.
Sadly, of the more than 1300 men who served with the 39th, only 18 are alive today, with Cecil and Stuart being the only remaining members from Sunraysia.
“We didn’t know each other in the army,” Cecil said. “Stuart was with headquarters company with mortars and I was in the bush with the infantry boys.”
“We lived near each other in Merbein after the war and that’s when we realised, we had served together in the same battalion'”
Although the 39th was disbanded in 1943, and the surviving soldiers re-deployed to other units, they have kept the memory of the 39th alive throughout the years.
The 39th association is still going strong today, with members throughout the country. Friends and family of veterans are encouraged to join the association to help keep the history alive.
