Neighbourhood ANZAC Day Service and Donation to AHQ - 25 April 2023

When Kelli and Stephen started to decorate their house with ANZAC day displays during the first year of COVID, they wouldn't have imagined that would turn into holding their own service and having hundreds of people turn up. 

Kelli sent the following report and photos to Jan-Maree about the ceremony they had in their street this year!

We started our Anzac Day display the first year of Covid in 2020 with only 20 mannequins on display. My husband is writing a book about the Australian soldier and their uniforms and field gear from 1915-2015. The book will show how things have changed in that 100 year period. So that’s how and why we began showing some items on Anzac Day for the general public. 

Displays of uniforms

Last year we decided to put on a Dawn Service as well as a display. All of our neighbours contribute to the Dawn service by reading a section each on the morning. 

This was our fourth year for the display and we had coffee and ice-cream vans and a Trike/motorbike ride for kids. As many RSL’s and Councils are no longer putting on Dawn Services or even Gun-Fire Breakfasts, the word has gotten around that our place is the place to go. 

This year more then 300 people came to our Dawn Service which the majority of people actually walked to our house, brought a poppy and then stayed for breakfast. It was a great day and our biggest amount raised for charity.

*This year that charity was Aussie Hero Quilts (red arrow points to donation bucket) and they raised a whopping $2500!!

Neighbourhood Cenotaph

AHQ would like to thank Kelli, Stephen and their neighbourhood for the kind donation. We wish Stephen all the best with his book and I would expect quite a few AHQ supporters would be interested in reading it once published.