Anzac Day 2022: Anzac spirit high at Albany troop march and Anzac Peace Park commemorative service

Although his father rarely spoke of the fighting at Gallipoli, 92-year-old John Rowe said he would never let the memory of his father’s wartime service fade. Speaking from inside an army green vintage jeep before he set off on Albany’s annual Anzac Day troop march, Mr Rowe said he would take part in the tradition for as long as he could to honour his World War I veteran father. “They’d have to carry me down in a coffin,” he said. Crowds lined York Street on Monday to wave on the traditional parade which featured veterans and their family members displaying their service medals, the Australian Army Band Perth, the 10th Light Horse Albany Troop, scouts and girl guides, school students, and about 100 members of HMAS Anzac. For the first time, instead of walking, Mr Rowe was driven through the march in a vintage army jeep as part of a contingent of veterans’ relatives. He wore his father’s WWI service medals, which included a Gallipoli star. The Albany man said his father fought in trenches seven-feet deep during the Gallipoli campaign. “He didn’t speak much about his time ... it was too gruesome, I think, to talk about,” Mr Rowe said. However, he said his father did talk about “what a swine of a place Gallipoli was”, with food options ranging from bully beef to tinned biscuits. “They turned the tin over once and the biscuits were made for the Boer War,” Mr Rowe said. “And there they are giving them to the diggers at Gallipoli.” Watching the march from the steps of the Albany Town Hall was Perth woman Navneet Kaur, her husband Amanpreet Singh, their daughter Naaz Kaur and Ms Kaur’s parents Surinder Kaur and Jasvinder Pal Singh who were visiting from India. Mr Singh said the family had come from India’s Punjab state and had wanted to attend the march because many Indian soldiers from their area had fought alongside the Australian troops. “We were supposed to go back to Perth today but they really wanted to see this march and see how the veterans have contributed towards the society, and we wanted to have this feeling in Albany,” Ms Kaur said. “It means a lot to see all the fervor and the energy that everyone brings along and the way they all march together. They never forget the past and that’s what the whole feeling is — lest we forget.” The parade continued down York Street to the Anzac Peace Park for Albany RSL’s main commemorative service. The crowd marked a minute’s silence at the start of the service out of respect for the ongoing war in Ukraine before Albany RSL president Helen Tasker gave the welcome address. After the laying of wreaths, Royal Australian Navy Commander David McPherson gave the keynote address, noting Albany’s “special significance” in both wars, beyond serving as the departure point for Gallipoli. He recognised the community’s support of the Australian Defence Force and its allies, including the US navy which during World War II conducted torpedo tests in Albany waters in 1942. With the help of local fisherman, the tests included a big fishing net being strung across Frenchman Bay, to test the efficiency of torpedoes. “The information gathered was fed back to the US into their weapon development program,” he said. Cmdr McPherson was joined by about 100 sailors from his ship, HMAS Anzac, many of whom had also paid their respects at the dawn service earlier in the day. “HMAS Anzac’s company is extremely proud of its name and its origins,” Commanding Officer McPherson said. “It is a special moment for us to be here with all of you today, taking part in this Anzac Day service. “The Australian navy has long had affiliations with the formation of the Anzac Legacy. “Whether it be providing protection to the convoy, undertaking shore bombardment in the preparation phase prior to landing or the loss of the submarine AE2 in the Dardanelles force conducting reconnaissance. “This Anzac Day we thank the men and women who have served and continue to serve. “Those who have brought and bring hope in times of despair. “Those whose names we may not know but whose courage and sacrifice we will honour forever. “We will remember them.”

Anzac Day 2022: Anzac spirit high at Albany troop march and Anzac Peace Park commemorative service

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