Lest We Forget – Ray White Carnegie will be commemorating ANZAC Day on 25th April

Australia’s Enormous Sacrifice

In 1914 Australia was a young country and still a dominion of the British Empire. So when Britain declared war, this tiny country of fewer than five million was automatically at war as well.

Thousands of young men rushed to volunteer in aid of King and country. To many it would have seemed like a great opportunity for adventure – they didn’t fully comprehend the horrors of war.

For Australia, the First World War remains the costliest conflict in  terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner.

In Fromelles in July 1916 Australian troops suffered 5,533 casualties in 24 hours. By the end of the year about 40,000 Australians had been killed or wounded on the Western Front. In 1917 a further 76,836 Australians became casualties in battles such as Bullecourt, Messines and the four-month campaign around Ypres known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

Australian women volunteered for service in auxiliary roles: as cooks, nurses, drivers, interpreters, munitions, workers, and farm workers. Australian nurses served in Egypt, France, Greece and India, often in trying conditions or close to the front, where they were exposed to shelling and aerial bombardment as well as outbreaks of disease.

At the conclusion of the War many men and women returned home bearing scars – physical and emotional – from their service. It was a defining moment in the life of our young country.

Local Services 2016:
Please consider attending a local service. We recommend checking the service and event times closer to the date.

Glen Eira City Council
Sunday 17 April 2016
2:30pm        Caulfield Park at the Cenotaph, Corner Hawthorn and Balaclava Roads, Caulfield North

Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL (95-97 Drummond Street, Oakleigh)
Monday 25th April 2016
6:30am        Dawn Service (breakfast to follow)

Bentleigh RSL (540 Centre Road, Bentleigh)
Sunday 24th April 2016
10:15am      Form up adjacent to Hodgson Reserve Tennis Courts. Proceed to cenotaph.
10:30am      Service commences. Morning Tea to follow at Bentleigh RSL.

Caulfiled RSL (4 St Georges Road, Elsternwick)
Thursday 21st April 2016
11:30am      Anzac Ladies Lunch

East Malvern RSL (Stanley Grose Drive, East Malvern)
Sunday 24th April 2016
10:00am      ANZAC Day Commemoration Service –  at the Cenotaph in Central Park, Burke Road, Malvern. This will be followed by Morning Tea at the East Malvern RSL Clubrooms, Stanley Grose Dv, East Malvern.
Monday 25th April 2016
6:00am       ANZAC Day Dawn Service – in the forecourt of the EAST MALVERN RSL

Highett RSL (1 Station Street Highett)
Monday 25th April  2016
5:45am        Assemble at the corner of Henry St & Highett Rd. March to clubroom.
6:00am        Dawn Service at RSL.

Hampton RSL (25 Holywood Street Hampton)
Sunday 17th April 2016
11:00am       Fields of Remembrance Service with laying of books on Cenotaph to be donated to local schools.
Friday 22nd April 2016
11:00am       RSL Rotary Children’s Anzac Day Service for Local Schools.
Monday 25th April 2016
5:30am         Anzac Dawn Service followed by gold coin donation breakfast in club.