People who attended Thursday’s Anzac Day commemorations clearly saw the respect and gratitude with which our local community holds those who served.
From the smallest Mathoura Public School student to the oldest person in the crowd who served, a fantastic number attended the day’s activities.
They included the dawn service in the Soldiers’ Memorial Gardens, the Gunfire Breakfast in the War Memorial Hall and the commemorative service in the Murray River Council’s Hall.
The commemorative service was run by Mathoura Public School students, introducing guest speaker John Trist, and their fellow students for their annual musical performances.
They later joined community members in the march from the council hall back to the gardens for the wreath laying ceremony and winding up the day’s activities.
The Mathoura community has been reported as making a larger than average contribution of sons to the war effort, and yesterday’s activities showed that their contributions will never be forgotten.
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To all visitors returning home after joining us for the Anzac Day long weekend break, please travel carefully.
This follows recent accidents at the Barmah turn off and an earlier one further north of Mathoura towards Deniliquin.
We want you all to get home safely so you can visit us again.
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In ending this Anzac Day themed column, I wish to share with you an interesting comment from Facebook:
“I was once willing to give my life for what I believed this country stood for;
“Today I would give my life to protect my family from what this country has become.”