The Wallerawang march and service to mark Anzac Day was held at 9am along Main Street, joined by returned servicemen, families and school students.
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One special guest at the service was James Crowe, who returned from his service in Afghanistan in 2012, and was attending the Wallerawang service for the first time.
Mr Crow lives in Sydney but decided to join his parents Susan and Greg for their local ceremony on Anzac Day 2018.
“It’s a lot different to the Sydney commemoration but it was a really nice service,” he said.
“The participation from the schools was lovely.”
Robert Beck and Glen Day, National servicemen or ‘Nashos’ enlisted in the 1950s, were also in attendance.
“It was quite good the service, it was nice there was lots of young people here,” Mr Day said.
“Young people should know about the war and the sacrifices they made.”
Mr Day’s father was a ‘rat’ of Tobruk, holding the Libyan port in World War II.
Minister John Young led the Wallerawang ceremony.
“We gather here today as a people who have been incredibly and wonderfully blessed,” he said.
“Today we stop. We stop to remember, to honour, to say thank you to those brave men and women who have served the nation in war, those who have served us.
“We stop to remember the freedoms and blessings we enjoy came at a cost, a great cost.
“Today we honour those whose love in action bought our freedom. Love is action, it’s a doing word, it’s service, it’s self sacrifice. Today we say thank you for your service.”
Brian Kinney provided music on the accordion and Ben Fairburn shared his incredible voice to sing the recessional.
Bonnie Coady and Wallerawang Public School students sang ‘Waltzing Matilda’.
The service was concluded with morning tea at the Commercial Hotel.
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