Well over 500 people made the darkened pilgrimage to the Macksville Cenotaph just before dawnbreak (a time which symbolically reflects the Gallipoli landing) for the 2018 ANZAC Day dawn service.
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Yesterday’s deluge seemed to have subsided just in time, much to the delight of Macksville RSL Sub-branch president, Gary McKay who was leading the service and thought it incumbent upon himself to thank the reverend for his earnest word to the big man upstairs.
“And can I firstly thank Clyde, our Padre, for doing his work; I thought it was going to rain this morning. He has a closer contact with the Lord than us normal humans,” he said, tongue-firmly-in-cheek.
WATCH (or perhaps listen): The full dawn service
Representatives from the Nambucca Valley Police, Macksville High School, BCU, the Marshall family and the general public laid wreath tributes, including one lovingly crocheted by the ladies of the CWA.
“ANZAC Day is a time when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war,” Gary started.
He then proceeded to detail the records of four local servicemen and women who gave everything for the first great war.
- 3209 Private Charles Grace Andrews of the 17th Battalion, 18 years and 11 months at time of enlisting. Birthplace: Kempsey, Employed at Messrs Reid and Fotheringham, Macksville. Before leaving, his fellow employees presented him with a watch and a belt. Member of the Macksville Rifle Club. Embarked from Sydney 23/12/15 on the HMAT Civic. Disembarked Marseilles, 23/3/16. Killed in action on 4/8/16.
- Assistant Josephine Margaret Gannon of the Australian Army Nursing Services was 33 years and 3 months when she enlisted on 10/5/17. Birthplace: Jerseyville. Next of kin, Timothy Gannon of Bowraville. Extract from the Guardian on June, 1, 1917 reads: “Nambucca is to to be represented among the nurses on the front. Nurse Gannon, daughter of Mr and Mrs T Gannon of Bowraville, having passed the necessary examinations and became qualified as a nurse, is about to leave for the front at an early day. She was in Bowraville last week for the purpose of saying farewell to family and friends.” Disembarked at Suez 19/7/17 and joined the 52nd General Hospital. She was promoted to sister on 12/7/19 when she decided to return to Sydney and continued to nurse throughout NSW and Qld until she retired to Nazareth House, Bobbin Head where she passed away, aged 90.
- 370 Alpha Private Robert Charles Channels, born 1892, 10th of 11 children to Eliza and William Channels of Macksville. Schooled at Eungai Creek. Embarked as a member of the 12th reinforcements of the 2nd Battalion which was fighting in Gallipoli. By the time he arrived the fight in Gallipoli was coming to an end so he was transferred to the 45th where he was deployed to the Western Front. (Pozieres). The Australian soldiers were shelled ruthlessly on August 6 by German artillery, undoubtedly the worst on the Western Front. More than 50 Australian men from the 45th were killed in the attack, one of them was Pte. Robert Channels.
- 778 Alpha Private Alexander Francis Motley, from the 52nd Battalion and 3rd Machine Gun Battalion. Enlisten in Lismore at age 16 on 13/2/17 with falsified records. His parents had refused consent to enlist. 1/4/18 disembarked from Dover to France. He was wounded in action on the 22/8/18, suffering shell wounds to the head, died as a result of those wounds on 23/8/18, sixteen days after his 18th birthday.
“There were others who lost their lives in different conflicts, they didn’t return to spend time with their family or friends. Or to see their grandchildren or great grandchildren grow up. They died in the battlefield believing they were fighting to bring peace and harmony to the world,” Gary said.
“They had no photos, no smart phones, no iPads no google, with which to see the success of their families. They will never see how our country has grown under its great achievements throughout these years.
“On reflection, what would they have thought of Macksville now, with the bypass and the new bridge?
“We do not celebrate or glorify war, rather we remember our mates and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
After the service concluded the masses marched to the Macksville Ex-Services for a hearty breakfast and a chinwag.
Mel Leigh Dee
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
