In the warm morning sun at Mooroopna’s cenotaph, generations stood side by side, united in remembrance and in recognition of the enduring cost of war.
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Hundreds gathered at 9am on Saturday, April 25 for Mooroopna’s Anzac Day commemorative service, after a crowd spanning veterans, families and school children marched down McLennan St to the sound of Waltzing Matilda.
Members of the 38th Army Cadets formed a catafalque party, standing solemnly around the cenotaph as Rotary Club of Mooroopna past president Kelvin Rogash addressed the crowd.
“On this day above all days we remember those Australian men and women who died or suffered in the great tragedy of war,” Mr Rogash said.
“We share the sorrow of those who mourned them and of all who have been the victims of armed conflict.”
Mr Rogash said that the Gallipoli tradition had “inspired and offered an enduring example to later generations of Australians”.
That message was brought into sharp focus by guest speaker, Australian army veteran and Shepparton RSL member Karen Holmes, who shared her experience serving in Cambodia.
“The chief instructor asked if I wanted to go to Cambodia, and my immediate reaction was yes… I wanted to serve my country like my forefathers,” she said.
She arrived in a nation still bearing the scars of genocide.
In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge regime claimed an estimated 1.6 to 1.9 million lives.
“As a peacekeeper 14 years on from the genocide, I saw the devastation firsthand,” she said.
“There was a generation of people missing.”
Ms Holmes’s speech highlighted the lasting cost of war and the importance of remembrance.
“We gather as we should always gather, not to glorify war, but to remind ourselves that we value who we are and the freedoms we possess,” she said.
The service continued with Greater Shepparton Secondary College student Charlotte Cartwright’s recital of For the Fallen, followed by Gun Sergeant Ray Sinclair reading the Ode of Remembrance.
The haunting last post played, before the crowd stood in silence.
A three-volley salute rang out into the quiet morning.
Greater Shepparton Secondary College students Riley Woolster and Ina Tafaoga performed the Australian and New Zealand national anthems, the latter sung in both Māori and English.
For veteran Len Harwood, Anzac Day remains deeply personal.
“Being a veteran, I find it very moving to think of the fallen who didn't make it,” he said.
“It’s also heartening to see school kids thanking us and young people getting involved.”
Ken Faulkner, who has served as master of ceremonies at the Mooroopna service for the past decade, said community support remains strong despite the declining number of veterans.
“We don’t have a lot of servicemen left, but it’s good to see young people acknowledging the sacrifices made to keep this country free,” he said.
With his grandfather injured at Gallipoli, and his daughter now in the Australian Air Force, Mr Faulkner has a personal connection to Anzac Day.
“It’s good to see the locals so supportive, it is especially great to see all ages here today.”