When I was a child Anzac Day in the Highlands marked the change of the season, and the 2023 dawn service at Mittagong was no exception as hundreds of residents wrapped themselves in jackets and scarves to turn out and pay their respects.
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The theme of this year's service was "remembrance" and perhaps, what that term means in the modern world. If the numbers that turned out were an indicator, the Anzac Day tradition is holding strong.
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From babies and toddlers, to school children and emergency services, locals and veterans, this year's service was well attended and incredibly moving.
I asked Wollondilly Anglican College Year 7 student Corin Murphy what Anzac Day means to him, and he said simply: "It's just a matter of turning out and respecting the people that fought for us."
He said it is often hard to imagine what the Australian diggers experienced, but that their sacrifice was not lost on his generation.
"At school they probably don't make it seem as bad as was, but in reality it was probably so much worse," Corin said.
He took a moment to remember his great grandfather, who drove an ambulance during the bombing of Darwin, also known as the Battle of Darwin, on February, 19 in 1942. It was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia.
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Sally Foy
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
