Anzac Day preparations begin

A working group has met for the first time this month to start preparations for Albany’s largest ever Anzac Day in April, marking 100 years since the Gallipoli landing.

Representatives from the City of Albany, Albany Returned and Services League Sub-branch, Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australia’s South West and local schools will meet regularly to finalise a program of activities.

These activities are designed to complement the RSL’s traditional commemorative events — the dawn service, gunfire breakfast and parade.

Albany City chief executive Graham Foster said accommodation providers were already about 90 per cent booked for the weekend.

“Planning for Anzac Day 2015 is proceeding well,” he said.

“It is expected the event program will be larger and more diverse than previous Anzac Days and will likely include activities over multiple days.”

However, Mr Foster said it was important to remember the November Anzac Albany commemorations were a one-off event and Anzac Day would not be as big.

“It must be remembered most cities and towns in Australia each hold their own Anzac Day events,” he said.

“It follows that the Anzac Day 2015 event program will not be as grand in scale as the Anzac Albany commemorative weekend.”

Albany RSL Sub-branch special functions committee chairman Laurie Fraser said the club had spent the past four years building up the Anzac Day commemorations in preparation for 2015.

“While the main focus will be on Gallipoli, with prime ministers and governors-general, we expect Albany to be the second choice, especially after the exposure in November,” he said.

Mr Fraser said planning for a separate schools march to be held on Friday, April 24 was underway, featuring 2000 local students.

He said the RSL was in the process of planning details such as transport for the dawn service, with a maximum of 4500 people able to attend the event at the Desert Mounted Corp Memorial.

Chamber chief executive Russ Clark said the chamber’s role on the working group was to make sure businesses were aware of issues such as road closures and complementary event schedules like the Great Southern Football League Anzac Day fixture and the Fremantle to Albany yacht race.

“While it will be bigger than previous years, people and businesses need to keep in mind that every town in Australia has a commemoration that day,” Mr Clark said.

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