Mudgee's Remembrance Day service reflected on the first commemoration held a century ago, as well as the efforts to ensure that the sacrifices made by those fighting for their country aren't forgotten.
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"When Remembrance Day services were held in 1919, the majority of those that had served and survived WWI had returned home. Half a million had enlisted, of which two out of three were wounded, most more than once," Geoff Robinson, Mudgee RSL Sub-Branch president, said in his address.
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"As they walked, limped or were assisted down the gangplank, many families did not recognise their husbands or sons - such was the appalling effect of four years of war. Never the less, it was a joyous occasion, captured in photos and on film, bands playing, people cheering, as relatives caught sight of someone they though they knew."
They weren't the same - and hence had difficulty settling back into society - due to the physical and psychological damages of their experiences. Meanwhile local communities wanted to commemorate those who didn't return by building memorials.
A cenotaph, by definition, is an empty tomb to honour someone whose body is elsewhere. Mudgee's was unveiled by four mothers of deceased soldiers in 1925.
"So while those of us here today cannot perhaps comprehend the sense of loss felt by families and Anzacs at that service 94 years ago, we can appreciate that the sacrifice of those during WWI and conflicts since, has given us the peace and freedom that endures in Australia today," Mr Robinson said.
