ANZAC commemorations are set to take place on Friday marking 110 years since the formation of the ANZAC Corp, and the President of the Penrith RSL Sub-branch says it’s an opportunity to pay respect to all veterans.
Recently elected President of the Penrith RSL Sub-branch Anthony Eddie served in the Australian Army for three decades including service in the Middle East before being medically discharged.
“I served on operations in Afghanistan in 2009 to 2010 over the Christmas period for six months and then the UAE supporting Operation Slipper for three months in an operational role,” Eddie said.
“Since then, I have been medically discharged with my knees, back and PTSD, like many.
“Now because I was medically discharged and I am on a medical pension or a service-related pension, I volunteer my time at the Sub-branch.”
As a Middle East veteran himself, Eddie said it is important to honour veterans from all conflicts and make sure they are welcome in Sub-branches across the nation.
“It’s a critical time for younger veterans to be a part of the Sub-branch and to collectively honour all of those before us… having the newer generation who have served in Afghanistan is really important,” Eddie said.
“My philosophy to explain my goals and ambitions for the Sub-branch is to continue on what we have already created, and I think Penrith’s quite a good leader in the space of being inclusive and aware of all eras or all different conflicts, all different groups that are part of our commemorations.”
Eddie will be speaking tomorrow at the Sub-branch’s ANZAC Day service where he will honour and pay his respects to all the veterans who came before him.
“ANZAC Day is about the origins of the ANZACs, it was the Australian and New Zealand Armies forming the ANZAC Corp… who fought in Turkey at Gallipoli and went through pretty horrendous stuff for very little gains, a lot of loss of life and injury. That’s why we have ANZAC Day,” Eddie said.
“It’s morphed into a National Day of Remembrance and commemoration where we now commemorate soldiers from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Rwanda, East Timor and Afghanistan and many others that some of the public doesn’t know about.”
Make sure to wear a piece of rosemary tomorrow, a shrub that grows wild on the landscape of the Gallipoli Peninsula, as a way to honour those who fought bravely upon those shores.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.