The service will start at 11am and will be followed by refreshments inside the club.
Moama RSL sub-branch president Ken Jones says this will coincide with the last formal service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance for veterans of the war, which was fought from September 1950 until July 27, 1953.
Mr Jones says from 2024, Korean War memorial services will be held more at RSL sub-branches, and he expects it will become a significant event in Echuca-Moama.
He says with only 260 Korean War veterans left in Victoria — and almost twice as many in NSW — the forgotten war is continuing to fade from public awareness.
“Australia was one of the first countries to join the United Nations Command after North Korea invaded the South — and you can look in the paper almost any day these days, 70 years later, and see the region is still poised on a knife edge,” Mr Jones said.
“More than 17,000 Australians served in the military during the war and 340 of them would die there, with a further 1200 wounded and about 30 becoming prisoners of war.
“Our troops proved pivotal in major battles such as Kapyong and Maryang San, as well as the role our country played as part of the neutral diplomatic and policy leadership in tandem with the US, China and the USSR.
“This is such an important part of our modern story and needs to be better understood and acknowledged by all Australians, which is why the RSL is inviting you to join us on Thursday at 11am to mark the occasion with the respect it deserves.”
