To mark Anzac Day on Thursday, April 25, join the community at these events hosted by Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-branches in Helensburgh, Austinmer/Thirroul and Coledale.

Austinmer & Thirroul

The Austinmer-Thirroul RSL Sub-branch will conduct two Dawn Services on April 25 – one at Austinmer Beach and the other at Woodward Park in Thirroul. Both services start at 6am sharp.

Sub-branch president Will Lee, a former army serviceman and master of the ceremony, arrives very early at Austinmer to make sure everything is set up. He has noted a steady rise in attendance at the awn Service in recent years.

“Over the years, the popularity of the Dawn Service across Australia has increased remarkably,” Will said. “We estimate around 1500 people attend the Austinmer service and at Thirroul we get about 250 people at that Dawn Service.”

Recently, vandals targeted the Memorial on Austinmer Beach, where people gather for the service. The City of Wollongong was quick to respond and sent a team to remove the graffiti.

“Well, it’s disgusting really,” Will said.

“The Austinmer Memorial was unveiled in 1922. It’s there to show honour for those that served in the First World War.”

An Anzac Day service is a chance to engage with the community and honour those who have lost their family members while serving their country.

“It’s a very solemn and commemorative event,” Will said. “A lot of the general public come and lay floral and put tributes on the memorial.

“The Wheatley family always come to lay floral tribute on behalf of their grandfather, Kevin Dasher Wheatley, a Victorian Cross recipient, and that’s a solemn tribute when it’s laid.”

Helensburgh

People gather from 5:45am at the War Memorial at Charles Harper Park for the Helensburgh Dawn Service, traditionally organised by local Scouts.

Michael Ali, who served in the army for about 40 years before joining the Helensburgh RSL sub-branch, said while the number of attending veterans has decreased, more local residents have been coming to the Dawn Service.

“There’s been a steady increase in the overall numbers attending the service and especially the young families,” Michael said.

“This is encouraging because we interact with the schools and the children a lot.

“There is an award, the Anzac Award, that we sponsor for each of the schools, so there’s a bond.”

Michael believes people like the first-hand involvement in the community. With local veterans, churches, schools and service organisations taking part, it’s an inclusive event.

“It’s always good to have people who are retired and people who are active there, members of the community,” Michael said.

“Then you put the two together and it’s magic.”

Coledale

The past year has been a rollercoaster for Coledale RSL. The club was facing closure from December 2022 to April 2023 but volunteers came to the rescue and it reopened just in time for last year’s Anzac Day Dawn Service. In January, the club received the prestigious Lord Mayor's Award at the 2024 City of Wollongong Awards.

“It was just good to get a little bit of recognition,” said David Lynch, Coledale RSL operations manager. “We’re so proud of what we’ve done.”

After successfully hosting last year’s Dawn Service, the club is encouraging everyone to take part in this solemn yet unifying occasion in 2024.

“Last Dawn Service is obviously our first one since we’ve been back and it was the biggest they’ve ever had,” David said.

“So we’re expecting even bigger, this time.

“It’s just such a sombre and moving event, paying homage to those that have fallen.”

For more information about the Coledale Dawn Service this Anzac Day, please check out their Facebook page.