Bendigo dawn service | Photos

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It has been 100 years since Bendigo held its first Anzac Day service, but the importance of the occasion to the community has anything but dimmed.

As light slowly began to filter into the dark sky, thousands of people, young and old, gathered at the cenotaph at Charing Cross to honour all the men and women who have served for Australia.

Despite their huge number the crowd remained silent throughout the dawn service, a mark of the respect felt for those who have given their time and too often their lives in service of their country and its citizens.

The march from the Soldiers Memorial Institute to the cenotaph for the service was led by men and women in the uniforms of World War I servicemen and nurses, to mark the centenary years of the war.

“Imagine this morning, what Bendigo was like 100 years ago today,” master of ceremonies Jonathan Ridnell said.

“Some mourning the death of a son or husband in Gallipoli, others coming to terms with a returned soldier crippled by wounds received on the Dardenelles.

“And others, relieved someone they loved had survived one campaign, but wondering what was in store for their men and women abroad, as the Anzacs prepared for action on the Western Front and the deserts of Sinai.”

Mr Ridnell said 60,000 Australians were killed during World War I, 150,000 were wounded and many more were left scarred mentally and emotionally.

“This morning our own reflection brings us to this moment at the Bendigo cenotaph to make sure we never forget,” he said.

Bendigo District RSL sub-branch president Cliff Richards said the dawn service commemorated a century of remembrance, making special reference to the Vietnam War, with this year marking the 50^th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.

He said service men and women today continued to embrace and uphold the Anzac ideals of mateship, courage and compassion.

“The manner in which way wars are being fought has changed, but the freedoms we currently enjoy are no different to the freedoms our forefathers so gallantly fought for,” Mr Richards said.

He said Anzac Day was not about the glorification of war, but an opportunity to pause and reflect on the 102,000 Australian lives that had been lost in service of the country.

Mr Richards told the Bendigo Advertiser it was pleasing to see such a large turnout for the dawn service.

"It's a nice feeling because it tells not only myself but all veterans on parade today that the memory of the Anzacs will continue for another century," he said.

During the service poet Peter Worthington delivered a poem entitled ‘The Anzacs Serving Side by Side’, an ode to the service of men and women who have served in conflicts since the Gallipoli landing more than a century ago.

“Over the last 101 years, the Anzacs have served us with pride,” Mr Worthington read.

“Their task to help others out,

“The Aussies and the Kiwis, serving side by side.

“Lest we forget.”

The strains of the Last Post and Reveille rang through the quiet streets, before the service ended with the Bendigo Youth Choir singing the New Zealand and Australian national anthems.

Lance Corporal Chris Tucci, a veteran of East Timor and Iraq, said Anzac Day was an important occasion for him.