Valued veterans passing the torch
Every year fewer servicemen return to commemorate Anzac Day. However, a new generation is rising up to make sure the memory of their sacrifice is not forgotten.
Both the old and young were at Anzac Oval in Winton for the dawn service.
Winton’s oldest returned serviceman, 98-year-old Tom Johnstone, is one of five veterans left in the town.
Johnstone saw action in campaigns in North Africa and Italy as an artilleryman in World War II.
Johnstone was heartened to see so many young people at the ser- vice, he said. ‘‘It’s an education for them. ‘‘The thing to pass on to them is to do your best – to see that there’s no more wars.’’
For Hillside Primary School student Maxwell Laughton, this was his first Anzac Day service.
His great-grandfather had also fought in World War II.
The seven year old laid poppies and a wreath to commemorate those who had fallen.
‘‘It’s the time when we remember all the soldiers, when they fought and died in the war.’’
Around 500 people attended the service, with the crowd spilling over to cover half the main road.
A lone piper greeted the crowds as they arrived, with the light drizzle failing to deter those who came to remember.
Winton RSA president Donald MacDonald said the Anzac Day services were continuing to grow in size.
‘‘There seems to be an increasing number of young people coming along. They really do embrace it.
‘‘They probably don’t realise it, but they will be the ones who will carry on the tradition into the future.’’
In Dipton, the 10am service focused on the 100th anniversary of the battle of Passchendale, where five soldiers from the town were killed on October 12, 1917.
At the memorial hall, Robina Wilson told a crowd of more than 100 people the story of her grandfather Frank Sinclair, who survived the battle and returned home to farm in Dipton.
In all, 32 men out of the town’s population of 697 died throughout the course of World War I.
Again, one of the key focuses of the day was to help pass on their stories to the next generation.
Dipton School teacher Jo Bringins said the students had been working together, in the lead up to ANZAC day, to uncover the stories of the men from Dipton who made the ultimate sacrifice.
‘‘Passchendale was the focus for this year, although all our classes have done something on the Anzac story.
‘‘Our seniors all did projects on someone from the Dipton role – they really enjoyed finding out about the story behind the names.’’