On ANZAC Day 2023, the Kedron-Wavell Services Club will be organising a Dawn Service at Lutwyche Cemetery in Kedron.
Read: Lutwyche: Get to Know One of Brisbane’s Oldest Suburbs
This solemn event will provide an opportunity for members of the community to come together and pay their respects to the brave Australian servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
The service will take place at the War Grave Section of the cemetery on 25 April 2023 and will commence at 5:30 a.m, concluding at around 6:30 a.m.
Following the Dawn Service in Kedron, the club will proceed with the Anzac Day March and Commemoration Service at Kittyhawk Drive in Chermside. Follow Kedron-Wavell Sub Branch RSL Inc on Facebook for more details.
About the Anzac Day Dawn Service
The Dawn Service is the inaugural commemorative event of Anzac Day, which symbolises the time when the ANZAC soldiers approached the Gallipoli beach.
On 25 April 25 1915, a significant event occurred as Australian soldiers made their way to Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula, which is now part of present-day Turkey.
For most of the 16,000 Australians and New Zealanders who arrived that day, it was their first encounter with combat. However, the day’s events took a heavy toll as 2,000 of them were either killed or wounded by evening, leaving a devastating impact on their mission.
Still, the origins of the Dawn Service can be traced back to the military practice of “stand-to,” where soldiers were awakened before dawn and positioned for readiness in case of a sudden enemy attack during the eerie half-light.
There are some debates surrounding the first Dawn Service. However, early services held at dawn, such as the one led by Reverend Arthur White in 1923 at Albany, Western Australia, who was a former padre with the 44th Battalion on the Western Front, paved the way for the modern practice.
Read: How Did Kedron Get Its Name?
Traditionally, wreaths are laid and a commemorative address is given to honour the sacrifices made by the soldiers.
Published 21-April-2023
