It may be a small rural town but the turn out by the Gwabegar community for the Anzac Day dawn service was huge.

More than 150 people, the largest number for many years, rolled-up to this year’s commemorative service on Thursday, 25 April held at the town war memorial in Anzac Park.

As the sun rose and the haunting sound of the Last Post reverberated through the small community, war veterans and ex-servicemen and women gathered with residents in a moving service of commemoration run by Gwabegar Public School students.

In her Anzac Day address, Gwabegar public school principal Tracy McGlashan spoke of the spirit of Anzac; its values of bravery, sacrifice and unity and the need to ensure that it is not just remembered on one day but is imbued in the everyday lives and choices of our youth.

“This year studying mateship, teamwork and resilience allowed us the opportunity to reflect on our own lives and it strikes me that these are the qualities of Anzac in the First World War,” she said.

“At the end of June 1914, Australians read in the newspapers about the assassination of an heir to a European throne which set in process a chain of events that led to war. German troops entered Belgium in the August and then Britain declared war on Germany. As a dominion of the British Empire, Australia willingly joined the war offering its unreserved help."

Local riders provided a guard of honour; Adrian Worrell, Roy and Emily Tanner and Crystal Bullin.

“Upon taking up my principalship of Gwabegar public school in 2021, I was in awe of the Gwabegar community. They are a small community, but their spirit is strong and how welcomed I felt to be part of it by leading our public school.

“Teaching the students to work together to conquer their fears for a task at hand, having mateship, being ready to assist with community knowledge when given the opportunity to further their learning.

"Hearing the discussions as the students reflected and made comment as to how they would relate to the soldiers, not in the face of war but in the mateship, camaraderie and teamwork they thought would have to be a large part of how the soldiers were able to get through another day.

Ex-servicemen and women, emergency services volunteers, police NSW, local councils and district schools were represented at the Gwabegar dawn service.

Of course, we all discussed the horrors of war and the reality that we would never want to experience anything like it again.

“Upon ending our unit of Anzac studies this year, the students were humbled and quiet and speaking of resilience of the soldiers and how they could learn to practice it in their lives at school and at home. 

“This made me respect them for teaching me, that although this event happened over 100 years ago, what being Australian means growing up in this beautiful country and being able to experience all the wonders that come with it. The mateship that we all experience through our lives, the resilience and the teamwork that we as a small community practice every week is something that we and you should all be proud of.

Gwabegar Public School students recite an Anzac Day poem.

“This is a day of commemoration for respect for our Anzacs so that we do not forget the sacrifices that were made to honour those who fought in this great war and for those families to remember their loved ones.     

“The students and staff of Gwabegar public school are our current and future generation of learners and we understand the importance of being present at our Anzac Day dawn service.

“Today we reflect on that service and we recognise more than 100,000 Australian men and women who have lost their lives in military operations carried out in our country’s name. 

“We honour the values that have been invested in the original Anzacs, loyalty, selflessness and courage and the ways in which later generations measure their own achievements against those of the soldiers who fought at Gallipoli.”      

Baradine RSL sub-branch president, Michael Ross and Gwabegar public school principal, Tracy McGlashan, congratulated student Lily Hall on winning the 2024 Anzac award.        

Floral tributes were laid at the memorial and the service concluded with the presentation of the 2024 Anzac Day School Award by Baradine RSL sub-branch president, Michael Ross to Gwabegar student, Lily Hall.