ANZAC COVERAGE
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The take-home message on Saturday was be grateful for our freedoms and remember the sacrifice of the World War I Anzacs at Gallipoli.
The crowds gathered in droves on Saturday to commemorate the 100 years since the landing at Gallipoli.
Young and old paid their respects at the Cenotaph and the War Graves Cemetery to acknowledge the locals who have served their country.
RSL Sub-Branch president and Vietnam War veteran Neil Richardson said he had carried out research into the Narromine Diggers.
"Two hundred and fifty one named Narromine as their place of association and of that 48 paid the ultimate sacrifice," he said at the 11am service.
To ackowledge the 48 local World War I Anzacs, 48 students from local schools placed a poppy in a display board next to the Cenotaph.
Australian Army Warrant Officer Class One Nadia McCulloch, from Narromine, spoke to the crowd at the 11am service.
"It's a great privledge to be with you today, representing the Australian Army," she said.
Warrant Officer Class One McCulloch said despite the distance Narromine, as with all towns in Australia, was affected by the war.
"The town of Narromine, so far away from Europe and the Middle East, was nevertheless profoundly affected by the war as all Australian communities of that time were," she said.
"There wouldn't have been a single family in the region that wasn't overly affected by these losses. It was not only the dead that made an impact, there was also the suffering endured by all the survivors who wore the physical and mental scars of their service.
"Narromine, like any town of the period, carried a heavy burden and was never the same again," she said.
Warrant Officer Class One McCulloch told the Narromine community to never forget the Anzacs.
"Never forget the deeds, courage or fortitude of these Anzacs. Anzac Day is not about the victories or defeats of Australian armed forces at war, instead we simply remember the ordinary Australian men andwomen who were and still are prepared to make personal sacrifices," she said.
"Many gave their lives for the freedom and quality of life we enjoy today.
"We gather, not to glorify war, but to remind ourselves we value who we are and the freedoms we possess, and we acknowledge the courage and sacrifice we have committed to this proud nation and those who are committed to serve," the Australian Army soldier concluded.