The popularity of Anzac Day’s dawn service continues to grow in Mandurah, with crowds returning in droves year after year to show their respect. About 4000 people braved the chill at Mandurah’s waterside war memorial to honour the Anzacs on Saturday. Later in the day, about 1000 people attended the brighter and warmer 10am march and ceremony.
Local MP Condemns Hecklers
Deputy Opposition Leader and local MP Andrew Hastie marched in Mandurah’s Anzac Day parade. Following the ceremony, Mr Hastie proved popular and posed for photos with residents. Earlier that morning, the Kings Park dawn service was marred when a small group booed Indigenous veteran Di Ryder while she was giving an acknowledgment of country. When asked about hecklers at the Kings Park dawn service, former soldier Mr Hastie told the Mandurah Times he condemned anything that distracted from Anzac Day. While the acknowledgment of country drew boos in the city, neither Mandurah’s dawn service nor the 10am service even included a welcome to or acknowledgement of country as part of the program.
Naval Officer’s Address
During the daytime ceremony, it seemed like history was repeating itself during naval officer Nick Carter’s executive address. He spoke about Australian naval crews lending a hand defending the Strait of Hormuz back in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war. “It was a place where every moment carried real risk,” he told the crowd. “I was just 20 years old, a long way from home and acutely aware of the dangers around us, yet in that environment of uncertainty, I discovered something . . . profound courage is not found in isolation, it is found in the people around you, and I drew strength from those around me. Shipmates who watched over me, who reassured me and who I knew with unwavering certainty would have done whatever possible to keep us all safe.”
Veteran’s Perspective
Mandurah resident Douglas Wyness said he tried to take part in the march every year. He served on the Vernon Sturdee and was one of the early members of the group that decided to march under a separate Mandurah Murray Vietnam veterans group banner on Anzac Day in 1999. The Vietnam veteran was just 21 when he was deployed overseas. “The Yanks had nothing when we arrived, so we did a lot of unloading,” the former seaman said. Kiwi singer Jacob Pihema performed a moving rendition of the New Zealand national anthem in Te Reo Maori. Wreaths were laid by the families of fallen soldiers, local politicians and Mandurah’s Turkish community. The crowds then moved to the Mandurah RSL for beers and two-up.
