Anzac Day 2016

Well it's Anzac Day again so it was time to get the kiddies up before sparrows fart, and throw them into the Tarrago and set off to Perth's Kings Park.

With the bagpipes getting us in the mood and settling in amongst tens of thousands of Perthites, we listen to Wing Commander Peter Kershaw who said... 'From the grinding hardships and terrible sacrifices of the Gallipoli campaign, through the Middle East, and the horrendous blood-letting of the Western Front, there emerged a distinctly Australian identity.'

And with the service over we settled in for our traditional Dawn Service Champagine Breakfast (non alcoholic), and it was Harrison's first time to pop the cork! So as the dawn light crept through the clouds coming over the Darling Scarp and with our tummys full of Champers n' Anzac biscuts, we sat back and took in all the morning activities.... As a famous aussie once said 'Hows the serenity.'

Then when the mob started to disperse we had our normal little walkabout down to the Cenotaph, where I listened to an old digger chat to a mate and took a photo of the kiddies.

We then strolled up the short walk to the flame of remembrance where the words of Wing Commander Peter Kershaw reminded us of our Anzac history, 'For the fallen, the missing, the wounded and all who have given of themselves, we unite in eternal gratitude and remembrance. Lest we forget.'

And as we do every year while were up at Kings Park we picked a war soldier for the kiddies to do a little history on, so in a way they can put a face to that name plaque and it might just mean that little bit more.

And the fella we picked was 496 Sargent Seymour William Pead of the 28th Battalion, he started life as a butcher up in Geraldton WA before enlisting in the Light Horse. It wasn't long before he was granted an early discharge, so he could re-enlist with the 28th Battalion. He embarked from Fremantle on the HMAT Ascanius with his C Company on the 29th of June 1915, and sailed for military training at Egypt before sailing for the shores of the Gallipoli Peninsula. After being severely wounded at Gallipoli he was transferred to HS Guildford Castle where he dies of his wounds, it was the 22 September 1915 and then he was buried at sea in the Turkish waters. He is commemorated on the Lone Pine memorial.