Homemade lanterns line Shepparton street for Anzac Day

Each year the Shepparton Scouts group have a sleepover at their club hall in Welsford St before getting up to go to the dawn service at the Shepparton Cenotaph - an event which Mrs Collins said was a favourite on their club calendar.

However due to the COVID-19 restrictions the group were unable to host their usual Anzac Day commemorations, with their Scout leader instead challenging them to come up with a unique way to acknowledge the day.

Billy and his mother decided to make lanterns for every house in their street, hand-painting them and delivering them to their neighbours with a letter and instructions.

“We invited the families in the street to put the lanterns on their mailboxes on Anzac (Day) eve, we asked them to light the candles at 7 pm and we invited the families to take a walk down our street to acknowledge and recognise the service men and woman,” she said.

“When we went outside at 7 pm there was about 30 or 40 people walking up and down the street and having a look at all the lanterns . . . it was just so amazing, the lights were just flickering away and it was way better than we could have imagined it."

With her dad being a Vietnam veteran, Mrs Collins said Anzac Day at their house always involved a large family gathering and celebration.

While this year may have been different, she agreed it was amazing to see all of the neighbours outside paying their respects with a handful also getting up the following morning for the dawn service.

“I didn’t except it to turn out so well, it was fantastic - it promoted discussion and the kids were interested,” she said.

“It was a nice chance for the street to do something for Anzac Day when people might not have done anything.”