It was a crisp and dark Monday morning as a healthy crowd gathered at the Barham cenotaph for the Anzac Day dawn service.

Greg Hall, Barham RSL Sub Branch president, welcomed the crowd and paid respects to the traditional owners.

“Before dawn on 25 April 1915, the first soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. The men were part of a British and French led invasion. The Allies’ mission was to destroy Turkish guns that were preventing naval ships from reaching and bombarding the Turkish capital, Constantinople. If they succeeded, Turkey might be forced out of the war and Germany would lose an important ally,” said Mr Hall.

“Some 2,000 Australians were killed or wounded on 25 April. It was a day of confusion and fear. One soldier called it ‘a day of sorrow’ as he remembered the dead and wounded. At Anzac Cove, the Australians were the first to land. The New Zealanders followed later in the day. 

“They advanced about a mile in some places, less in others, but they could go no further. For the next eight months, the campaign was a stalemate. In December, the Anzacs were evacuated. By then, about 8,700 Australians and almost 2,700 New Zealanders had been killed. They were some of at least 130,000 soldiers on both sides who lost their lives at Gallipoli.”

It was a moving service as the crowd surrounding the lovingly manicured grounds held powered candles.

The 11 o’clock service started in Koondrook with a laying of wreaths at the foot of the cenotaph before the march headed off for Barham with welcome return of the Bendigo Highland Pipe Band. The band played as the march walked through the streets. People gathered on lawns and nature strips, and in parked cars to get a glimpse as the procession passed.   

The crowd swelled once again at the cenotaph as Greg Hall presided over proceedings and presented the Anzac Requiem. The Anglican Church choir was on hand to provide the heavenly voices, along with Leanne Heffer on prayer duty, as well as students from both Barham High School, Ella Dejong and Kirby Bott, and Barham Primary School, Ned Lake and Hannah Gogoll, reading contributions. 

The guest speaker for the service was Christine Dartnell who served as a medic in the navy for 10 years and works tirelessly for the local RSL as secretary and treasurer. Christine is active in obtaining grants and working to preserve the history of those who served our nation. 

“We also commemorate the nurses, doctors and ministers, some of whom were not in the military, but were available to administer medical and pastoral care,” said Christine.

“We also acknowledge the sacrifice of the family members who were back in Australia. We also acknowledge the members of the Australian Women’s Land Army and those members of our communities who were classified as an essential service and who were not able to join the full-time military forces. Some joined the VDC, the Volunteer Defence Corps.” 

Christine spoke of the Barham and Koondrook ladies who, in August 1914, joined the action initiated by Lady Maro Ferguson, wife of the Governor General, in establishing a Red Cross League. The Barham Red Cross Branch sought donations from the community to a patriotic fund which was then used to send articles and garments to the servicemen awaiting deployment at the Broadmeadows Military Camp and to soldiers on the front line. During the Second World War, the local community once again contributed to a patriotic fund so that gifts and other parcels could be sent to military personnel serving overseas. 

During the speech, Christine announced funding success of $9,939 from the Department of Veterans Affairs for the Barham and District RSL Sub Branch’s ‘Path of Honour’ project. The path will be from the gate to the cenotaph and will have four inlaid diamond-shaped pavers, which will consist of the RSL logo and service badges of the Navy, Army and RAAF. Either side of this concrete path will be inlaid bricks which will be etched with the name and service number of service personnel.

The project requires 230 names with 157 currently down. Individuals or family members are encouraged to contact the Barham RSL if they would like service personnel names included. 

The service concluded with Greg Hall presenting a cheque for $1,000 from the Barham RSL to the Bendigo Highland Pipe Band, followed by a presentation to George Rathbone for 10 years of leading the march dressed in a Light Horse uniform riding ‘Tough’.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 28 April 2022.