2 weeks Ago By William Ton
A solemn memorial has been marred by booing as a small cohort of hecklers interrupted a Welcome to Country ceremony at an Anzac Day dawn service. Login or signup to continue reading Hushed whispers earlier filled the air as masses of people turned out under the cloak of pre-dawn darkness in Melbourne on Friday to commemorate those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Some 110 years since Australian and New Zealand soldiers rowed towards the desolate shores of Gallipoli at half light during World War I, tens of thousands of Victorians attended the Shrine of Remembrance for one message: lest we forget.
With the crescent moon still hanging overhead and the forecourt of the war memorial illuminated only by the deep red glow, attendees stood shoulder to shoulder in the chilly morning to mark Anzac Day. But the peace was broken during Bunurong elder Mark Brown's Welcome to Country, when heckles and boos came from members of the crowd. The interruption was soon drowned out by louder applause from the crowd.
The incident was quickly condemned by RSL Victoria, which said the heckling was completely out of keeping with the intention of the solemn event. Master of ceremonies Justin Smith paid tribute to fallen protectors and the sacrifice they made for the nation, which still carries their memories in its blood and in its story. "It's dark and when the sun finally does appear, it's over," he said.
"Yet we're still here by the tens of thousands. We're here with an understanding of what has been done for us and to honour the people who have done it." Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner told the story of Thomas Frank Cahir, from the regional town of Yendon near Ballarat, who would travel to Melbourne to complete his studies.
But instead of sitting his exams, he found himself in the trenches of Gallipoli in October 1914. Carrying injured mates from hilltops as a barrage of shrapnel rained from the skies, Mr Cahir would ultimately survive the bloodshed. But even when the guns fell silent, he continued for more than two years searching for and identifying thousands of dead countrymen in the fields of Europe.
On his return to Australia - seven years after he left - his friends, family and home had changed. His internal battle ended the story, seven years after his return. "We sometimes reflect on war as a series of battles with clear beginnings and ends," Ms Gardner said.
"But the impacts of conflict continue to reverberate long after the cacophony of war fades into silence." Service men and women and their descendants will later march from Princes Bridge near Federation Square to the shrine before commemorations end with a wreath-laying service. Australian Associated Press Daily Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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