Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Riley Walter

THE Last Post sounded through the darkness as thousands of people returned to the streets of Adelaide for the city’s first public Dawn Service since the start of the pandemic.

Adelaide Crows AFLW star Ebony Marinoff was among those supporting family, attending the march with her grandfather Laurie Gillespie.

“It’s very special,” Marinoff said. “The whole family comes out every year.”

Mr Gillespie served in the army in Papua New Guinea during World War II.

Extracted Article from Adelaide Advertiser
26th March 2022

By: PAUL ASHENDEN

WORLD War II veteran John Hooper is an old hand at reciting the Ode Of Remembrance .

He reckons he’s done it about 100 times over the past 70-odd years.

Initially, it was at Anzac Day reunions with his old wartime mates. In the past few years, it has been to farewell many of these same men.

This week, however, Mr Hooper has been preparing to recite the Ode at a ceremony the likes of which he has never experienced before.

With dawn services around the nation cancelled because of the coronavirus, Mr Hooper was called on to lead this morning’s driveway tribute at Life Care’s Parkrose aged-care village in Everard Park.

The 92-year-old former navy able seaman was set to be joined by fellow ex-service personnel , other residents and staff as part of the RSL’s national Light Up The Dawn initiative .....................

He is one of several returned servicemen who live at the Life Care village.

Also looking forward to today’s 6am service were Laurie Gillespie , 96, who fought at Kokoda , pilot Leslie Diercks, 102, who flew Catalina flying boats in World War II, and David Kidd, 71, who did two tours of Vietnam as a tank driver.

Other village residents and staff also planned to take part in the tribute, and neighbours said they would stand silently in their driveways to pay their respects.

“We have staged Anzac Day services every year since Parkrose Village opened in the 1950s,” village manager Ann-Marie Hogan said. “Due to coronavirus, our residents can’t leave the facility and there are limitations on who can visit from outside.

“We thought it was important to hold this year’s service differently to honour the day and pay our respects to our residents who are ex-service personnel , those who have fallen, and those who continue to serve our country. It is testament to the resilience of our staff and residents that we’ve found a way to adapt and overcome this challenge to ensure we continue to observe the Anzac Day tradition.

“We hope it will provide comfort for our residents, many whom have not missed a service for decades. This year’s commemoration will certainly be one to remember.”

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