Lest We Forget–The 97th Anzac Commemoration.

Keeping in with the spirit of the day we were all up at 5am to make the 10 minute walk to where the Seddonville Anzac Day commemoration was to begin. As the time tick over to 6 am 3 pipers and a drummer struck up with a march to escort the assembled group up the hill to the Memorial Gates where the wreath laying was to take place.

The Drummer and Pipers at the Seddonville Dawn Service.Seddonville Memorial Gates in the middle of nowhere. Venue for today’s Dawn Parade.

The proceedings were low key compared to the bigger towns and cities but no less moving as the bugler played The Last Post and Reveille. One wreath and plenty of poppies were laid on the site before the reciting of the Ode by a member of the RSA. We were then escorted back down the hill from where we all headed back to the hotel for a tot of Dramburie to warm the inner man followed by a full cooked breakfast.

A Hearty Breakfast for Anzac DayYours Truly after the Dawn Service in Seddonville

The rest of the day was spent relaxing after such an early start to the day. We did venture out in the afternoon to the neighbouring town of Mokihinui to check out the camp site there for future reference. Returning to camp we sat round in the sunshine until the sand-flies drove us to distraction when we retreated to the hotel bar for an ale or two.

Oyster Catchers on the Mokihinui River Estuary.Mokihinui River Estuary.