Community members and students gathered below the shade of a solitary tree at St Augustine’s College Kyabram for its annual ceremony.
In remembrance of the Battle of Lone Pine, members of Kyabram Legacy and Campaspe Shire Council, and college staff and students, paid their respects to the fallen.
Following a musical welcoming by the college choir, Kyabram Legacy secretary and emcee Gavon Armstrong invited those with wreaths to lay them beneath the tree.
Don Cook spoke about the history of Legacy in Australia, and highlighted the impact of its care locally.
“The Kyabram Legacy group currently cares for approximately 35 widows, with 25 of those ladies living independently,” he said.
“More recently, we have started to care for the widows and partners of veterans from wars in Korea, the Gulf, Vietnam and Afghanistan.”
Graeme Jones read The Ode before attendees observed one minute of silence, and a flag-raising ceremony followed while The Last Post played.
A reading of In Flanders Fields was given by Ian Danahay before college captain Tia Harrison gave a speech on the Battle of Lone Pine’s significance and Legacy’s importance.
The Year 5 and 6 students were asked by Tia to raise a sprig of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance, provided by teacher Selga Langley.
Learning support officer and former ADF serviceman Darcy Walsh relayed the first line of the Australian Solider’s Code, which he carries with him to this day, and discussed the Battle of Lone Pine’s history.
Gwen James recited the poem A Seed of that Tree at Lone Pine, written by former Kyabram local Grahame Watt.
Kyabram Legacy chair John Lilford praised the resurgence of the Australian spirit he saw in today’s young people, and thanked the school for helping to facilitate it.
College principal Tim Campbell emphasised the school’s connection to the tree, and what it represented.
“Stewardship of our Lone Pine is more than just caring for the tree itself,” he said.
“When we accept this responsibility, we are making a promise, a promise to look out for one another. Every day we see that promise in action.”