The Gulgong community came together at the eleventh hour of the eleventh month to pay tribute to the fallen and remember the great sacrifice made by so many.
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As the bugler (Ross Ellis from Mudgee) played the Last Post the members of the RSL stood with hand on heart remembering their fallen comrades.
One of these special men was Les Monks who is the only surviving veteran in Gulgong of the Second World War and even though his movements are now restricted there is no way he was going to miss remembering his lost mates on this special day, many of whom were from Gulgong.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the beautiful dark red roses that surround the Rotunda were only complimented by the hundreds of handmade poppies that were in the garden and adorning the Rotunda.
David Henderson, President of the Gulgong RSL sub branch explained “Due to the pending court case involving the embezzlement of funds from the RSL there is a blanket ban on all fund raising by all RSL branches until the court case is settled.”
This meant they were not able to sell the poppies as a fund raiser on the day as they usually do.
On hearing this a group of ladies from Gulgong banned together and hand made hundreds of paper and crochet poppies.
David said “I want to personally thank every one of these ladies.
Cecily Walters, Toni Morrison, Christine Tomlinson, Lorraine Richards and Kay Binns, for their thoughtfulness and hard work which is very much appreciated by us all.”
In March 2018 our beautiful Rotunda, which is said to be the oldest Rotunda in Australia, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
On March 18 the Gulgong RSL is planning a community celebration day for this special event which will include a BBQ for the town.
Saturday, November 11, 2017, Remembrance Day
In 2017, 11 November marked the 99th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18).
Each year on this day Australians observe one minute’s silence at 11am, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.
Last Post Ceremony
Each day the story of one of the fallen servicemen or women listed on the Roll of Honour is told at the Last Post Ceremony.
Traditionally on November the 11, the eulogy for the Unknown Australian Soldier, delivered in 1993 by then Prime Minister the Honourable Paul Keating, is read at the Last Post Ceremony.
