On 25 April, I will join the surviving families and friends of our local Anzacs to commemorate their ultimate sacrifice for our country - our true national pride.
When the First World War broke out, men from the Georges River area quickly answered the call. More than 500 local men had enlisted by the end of July 1915, from an eventual total of more than 2,200.
The Gallipoli Campaign took a heavy toll. The first of our volunteers to fall was an Oatley man, Major William Davidson, on 26 April. In all, 136 men from our area lost their lives at Gallipoli.
Kogarah man Noel Heuston wrote home describing his impressions of Gallipoli:
"The hills are 300 or 400 feet high generally, and when you first see it, you wonder how the Australians who first landed ever took the Turkish trenches. I doff my hat to their gallantry and bravery and will forevermore be proud that I am an Australian. The trenches of the Turks are only about seven yards from us, and you can hear them talking in their dugouts, so you can imagine how close they are. You dare not trust your finger over the parapet of the trench as you will have it blown off, so accurate are the Turkish snipers."
The Battle for Lone Pine alone left 18 Georges Rivermen dead, including seven men serving with the 4th Battalion, killed on the same day, 6 August 1915.
Private John Hamilton of the 3rd Battalion, a butcher's assistant from Carruthers Street, Penshurst, distinguished himself in the fighting at Lone Pine and was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery.
A Hurstville man, Lance-Corporal Charles Allerdice, of Carrington Avenue, wrote:
"I have been in the trenches eleven days now. We have always to sleep in our clothes and equipment. I have not had a wash for a week, but I hope to get one shortly. We get it hot with the shells sometimes. While I am writing this letter, I am in a burrow just like a rabbit, protected from the enemy's bullets. It will seem funny when we get out of the hearing of the rifles and the guns as they are one continuous noise."
Six weeks later, however, he was killed in action. He is commemorated on Hurstville War Memorial.
By the time hostilities ceased in 1918, more than 400 men and women from Georges River had paid the supreme sacrifice.
I encourage you to make your Anzac Day meaningful by visiting these local memorial locations and activities:
Oatley Park Lone Pine plaques
Just inside the entrance to Oatley Park is a pine tree grown from seed of the original lone pine at Gallipoli. A bronze plaque on a plinth beside the tree installed circa 1935.
ANZAC Day 2021 - Mortdale RSL Sub-Branch
Dawn Service Address:
Mortdale Memorial Park, Oxford Street, Mortdale NSW, Australia Time: 6:00 am
ANZAC Day 2021 - Kogarah RSL Sub-Branch
March Time: 7:30 am Route and Information:
The parade will form up in Bellevue St (street behind the Kogarah Clubhouse) at approximately 0715. The march will step off at 0730, turning left into English Street and marching down to the Cenotaph at Kogarah Park (next to the Jubilee Stadium).
Post-March Main Service Address: Cenotaph next to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium (in the park located at the corner of English and Park Streets) Time: 7:40 am