The Gunnedah shire is preparing for Anzac Day with a number of services and free events to be held next week.
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The first of the events is the Anzac Tribute Concert, hosted by the Gunnedah Shire Anzac Working Group.
The concert will be held from 5pm-7pm at Pensioners Hill and will feature the award-winning Gunnedah Shire Band and musicians from the Gunnedah Conservatorium.
The musicians will entertain the audience with music and songs from across the hundred years of Anzac tradition while the sun sets over Gunnedah.
Community members are asked to bring a rug or chair, with a barbecue dinner to be cooked up by the Rotary Club of Gunnedah West. If weather becomes an issue, the performance will be moved to the band hall.
Gunnedah GoCo will provide a bus service with names to be left with Gunnedah Shire Council on 6740 2100. A four-seater golf-cart will also be available to transport the elderly and those with limited mobility from the car park.
In the lead-up to Anzac Day, Mackellar Care Services is selling personalised poppies for $10 each from both the Alkira and Apex sites. The money from the poppies will assist veterans.
Casey Hatch said each poppy bears the name of a fallen soldier and came from Poppy Park in Penrith.
“We have a big interest in Anzac Day because it has a special meaning to staff and residents,” Ms Hatch said.
“We thought we’d play our part in helping each poppy in getting a home.”
Services
Winanga-li Aboriginal Child and Family Centre
On Monday, April 24 at 10.30am, the centre will hold an Anzac service. Community members are invited to join the children as they march along the centre’s verandah then lay a wreath under a tree. Those with photos or medals are welcome to bring them along.
Following the commemoration, Devonshire tea will be served. Contact Kerren on 6743 0999 by April 21 for catering purposes.
Mackellar Care Services
The Alkira campus of Mackellar Care Services will hold an Anzac breakfast on Wednesday, April 26 from 8am. A service will be held at 9.30am.
Anzac Day
Gunnedah’s Anzac services have been organised by the Gunnedah RSL Sub-branch. The dawn service will start at 5.30am at the cenotaph on Conadilly Street, with Gunnedah Salvation Army Major Gaye Day to give the commemorative address.
The Anzac Day march will begin at 10.30am, with veteran’s cars leading the procession from Marquis Street, heading down Conadilly Street. Marchers are to assemble at Mitre 10 at 10am.
The official service begins at 11am at the cenotaph on the corner of Elgin and Conadilly streets. Gunnedah Anglican Church minister Scott Dunlop will give the commemorative address.
A lunch for veterans and their families will be held at the Gunnedah Services and Bowling Club at 12.30pm. Names will be need to be given to the club by Friday.
The Water Tower Museum is offering free entry following the morning service, with the newly completed Bill Clegg Military Display on show from 12pm-2pm.
The Breeza morning service will be held at the cenotaph at 8.30am following a short march from the original cenotaph.
The Boggabri march will proceed from the Boggabri RSL Memorial Club to the cenotaph for an 8.30am service.
The march for the dawn service in Curlewis will proceed from the corner of Goran and Pike streets at 5.15am. A Legacy breakfast will be held from around 5.30am at the Commercial Hotel at the cost of $5. The morning service will be held at the cenotaph at 9am, with the march to proceed from the Commercial Hotel at 8.45am.
The Tambar Springs dawn service will be held at 5.30am at the cenotaph. The morning servcie will be held at the cenotaph at 11am, with a march to proceed from the Royal Hotel at 10.45am.
Goohli will hold a sunset service at 5.30pm at the Goohli hall, with a barbecue dinner to follow.
Road closures
A number of roads will be temporarily closed in the shire on Anzac Day.
Gunnedah
From 5-6am the roundabout on the Conadilly and Elgin streets intersection, part of Conadilly Street between Marquis and Abbott streets and part of Elgin Street between Little Conadilly and Little Barber streets, will be closed.
Between 10am and 12pm, Conadilly Street between Marquis and Abbott streets, and Marquis Street between Conadilly and Little Conadilly streets, and Elgin Street between Conadilly Street and McDonald’s driveway, will be closed.
Curlewis
In Curlewis, part of the intersection of Pike and Goran streets will be closed for the dawn service between 5-6am. From 8.15am-12pm, Goran Street between Railway and Brown streets, Pike Street between Donaldson and Goran streets and a small section of Railway Street near the hotel will be closed.
Boggabri
The following sections will be closed: Rees Avenue from Laidlaw Street to Lynn Street, Brent Street from Laidlaw Street to Wee Waa Street, and Merton Street from Dalton Street to Caxton Street.