ANZAC Day 2008
Tuesday, 29 April 2008 10:00
On the morning of Anzac Day I stood in the dark on the banks of the Brisbane River for the dawn service at the memorial at Bellbowrie. It was a moving service held on the banks of the Brisbane River, with the sun rising through the gum trees and a kookaburra making a sound, which it seems to do during each dawn service. This is on e of the commemorative activities that are conducted by the Kenmore-Moggill RSL. This RSL has no poker machines. It is an RSL that is dedicated to the service of particularly the veterans’ community in the western suburbs of Brisbane. That RSL also conducts a large parade through Kenmore on Anzac Day. This year the Kenmore-Moggill RSL’s dawn service was attended by the Lord Mayor Campbell Newman. There were some 500 people who attended that service out at Bellbowrie on the banks of the Brisbane River.
RSL President Stewart Cameron and his team, Jack Vintner, Kevin Daly, Laurie Hall, the immediate past president, Max Lockwood, and others have devoted themselves to serving their community in a wide variety of ways. This RSL club has no clubhouse. It raises funds predominantly from the sale of Anzac Day badges, with which I had the privilege on two occasions in the lead-up to this Anzac Day of assisting. Recently the Kenmore-Moggill RSL has instituted a men’s shed program where older men are brought together to discuss matters of importance to them. At one stage I was privileged to address the men’s shed in relation to prostate cancer. The RSL conducts a very active program in the local schools. It also conducts an active pastoral program.
Currently, the Kenmore-Moggill RSL is seeking some premises – not for the purpose of poker machines or alcohol sales but simply to administer and conduct its sales. An approach has been made to the Police Service, which I believe is under consideration, the now disused Kenmore Police Station. Hundreds and hundreds of people attend the Kenmore-Moggill RSL’s commemorative services. Others benefit by the pastoral care that it offers. Our schools benefit as our children are taught about those who made sacrifices in the war by these very dedicated groups of people whom I am very proud to be able to support. An Anzac Day service at RSL Care’s Fairview home on Moggill Road at Pinjarra Hills was also held which has now been co-ordinated by Darryl Howells for the past 10 years.