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EARLY in the morning they gathered in incredible numbers.
Thousands of people standing shoulder to shoulder in Bendigo’s Charing Cross.
It was hard to truly gauge the number – thousands will do – as for this the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing, the dawn service crowd spilled beyond Charing Cross – up View Street, Mitchell Street and back along Pall Mall.
There were people of all ages – babies attending their first service right through to veterans of many.
Families. Couples. Singles.
Some proudly wore medals in recognition of family members lost while others honoured the occasion with uniforms.
Even Mother Nature had the sense of occasion – the rain that fell through the night and into the early hours of the morning stopped on cue.
The signs of the sheer size of the crowd were evident early for those heading to the dawn service.
The car parks began to fill from the rail line at the top of Williamson Street and there was not a space in the CBD itself. Even the Target and Coles car parks were full and spots were at a premium up at the Marketplace as well.
People streamed from all directions toward Charing Cross - it was humbling to see at such an hour in the morning.
The final number will never be truly calculated but let’s call it a record – this occasion deserved such worthy recognition.
And so the official ceremony began as RSL Bendigo sub branch president Cliff Richards used his dawn service address to say out loud what everyone there was thinking.
How the excitement of those many Bendigo men heading off to defend their country turned to hell for them and so many other young Australians.
The sacrifice – more than 8000 Australians – at Gallipoli.
The continued gallant service of our men and women in combat and support on the Western Front, through World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands, East Timor.
Tradition is the fabric of Anzac ceremonies – it’s been that way for a hundred years now.
There are two moments that perhaps signify Anzac Day more than any other – the reading of The Ode and playing of The Last Post.
Cliff Richards had the honour of delivering that time-honoured Ode on this special morning.
‘’They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
‘’Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
‘’At the going down of the sun and in the morning
‘’We will remember them.’’
Yes, we will.
As the strains of the bugle filled Charing Cross, the thousands stood silent. Listening. Remembering.
For this brief moment the chilly and wet Bendigo morning had to take second place when it come to generating the shivers through the bodies of those gathered.
The most powerful moment of an Anzac service doesn’t come in words or music but silence.
That minute between The Last Post and Reveille when silence becomes deafening.
The Bendigo Youth Choir honoured the Anzac contribution with great renditions of the New Zealand and Australian national anthems – their performance drawing a wave of applause from the crowd.
Then it was over.
The first rays of morning sun had illuminated Charing Cross and the time had come to head home.
The minds of so many consumed by the Anzac contribution turned back to modern times – coffee and breakfast.
The cafes in the CBD and nearby filled and people talked about what they’d just experienced and the significance of it all.
Yes, the Diggers they had gathered to remember and honour would have been mighty chuffed with the turn out.
So fitting.
Well done Bendigo.