Honouring the memory of our local veterans

We’re working together with students from Dapto High School and the Honour Our Fallen initiative to pay tribute to our local ex-servicemen and women whose remains are interred within our Wollongong Memorial Gardens.

In the lead up to Anzac Day on Sunday, students have placed more than 700 flags, one for each passed veteran, on every memorial site to honour those who have served our country.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said it was important for our local young people to be engaged with the history surrounding Anzac Day and the significance in honouring those that have served our country.

“Placing the flags on the memorials of all those people who have at one time served in our armed forces and having the younger members of our community involved in this mark of respect helps pass on the essence of our Australian spirit,” Cr Bradbery said.

“This is a thoughtful way to pay tribute to all our service men and women who have given so much in the interest of our Country.”

Year 10 students from Dapto High School engaged in a history project, researching the lives of 11 deceased local veterans. Students learned about the significant contributions and sacrifices they made in serving their country.

Council held a commemoration ceremony at the Wollongong Memorial Gardens that allowed the students to pay their respects to the service men and women.

The ceremony took place with representatives from the City of Wollongong RSL sub-branch, along with the founding director of the Honour Our Fallen program Rick McCarthy. Students also spoke during the service about the lives of the returned service people they had learned about over the course of their studies.

“Anzac Day is an incredibly important day for all of our community. It is a time for us to remember and reflect on the sacrifices of those who have gone before us and the hardships endured to protect the Australian way of life,” Cr Bradbery said.

For those celebrating Anzac Day on Sunday 25 April, the City of Wollongong RSL sub-branch is holding a march through the Wollongong CBD. Community members are encouraged to attend.

“We look forward to supporting the local City of Wollongong RSL this Sunday as they go ahead with their Anzac Day commemoration march,” Cr Bradbery said.